THE  LIFE  g  WORK  OF 

:B.  j.  :  .     < 

AMONG  SKIMOS 


s 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE  LIFE  AND  WORK  OF  THE  REV. 
E.J.  PECK  AMONG  THE  ESKIMOS 


E .    J .     PECK. 


THE     LIFE    AND    WORK 
OF  THE  REV.  E.  J.  PECK 
AMONG     THE    ESKIMOS  * 

BY  THE  REV.  ARTHUR  LEWIS,  M.A.  Author 
of  "A  Memoir  of  G.  M.  Gordon/'  etc.,  formerly  a 
Missionary  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  With 
Eighteen  Illustrations 


NEW  YORK : 

A.  C.  ARMSTRONG  6f  SON 

3  &  5  WEST  EIGHTEENTH  STREET 
1904 


Butler  and  Tanner,  The  Selwood  Printing  Works,  Frame,  and  London 


m/f 

fllltt 


To  the  wives  of  our  missionaries 
who,  being  compelled  from  various 
causes  to  remain  at  home,  are  un 
grudgingly  giving  their  husbands  to 
the  work  of  Christ  in  far-off  lands, 
as  well  as  to  those  who,  in  weariness 
and  painfulness,  in  hunger  and  thirst, 
are  constant  partners  with  their 
husbands  in  different  climes,  this 
book  is  dedicated. 


PREFACE 

HP  HE  subject  of  Foreign  Missions  is  so  prominent 
on  all  sides  in  the  present  day  that  no  apology 
is  needed  for  the  publication  of  a  book  dealing  with 
a  remote  field,  concerning  which  little  is  known 
beyond  the  limited  circle  of  those  who  read  Mis 
sionary  magazines  and  newspapers.  Some  apology, 
however,  may  be  needed  for  the  author  who  has 
compiled  the  following  pages.  Conscious  of  lack 
of  power ;  ignorant,  as  far  as  experience  goes,  of 
all  the  conditions  of  Eskimo  life ;  personally  un 
acquainted,  until  a  short  time  ago,  with  any  of  the 
missionaries  engaged  in  evangelistic  work  among 
the  Arctic  people ;  the  book  was  taken  in  hand  at 
the  request  of  the  Rev.  E.  J.  Peck,  whose  sole  desire 
was  to  quicken  interest  in  missionary  work  and  to 
deepen  the  sense  of  responsibility  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  concerning  the  great  commission  with  which 
it  has  been  entrusted. 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

A  large  amount  of  matter  had  previously  been 
collected  by  one  of  Mr.  Peck's  friends,  who  wishes 
to  remain  anonymous.  To  this  gentleman  the 
thanks  of  the  author  are  due  not  only  for  numerous 
selections  from  Mr.  Peck's  diaries,  but  also  for 
many  original  passages  which  have  been  incorpo 
rated  in  the  narrative,  especially  in  the  earlier 
chapters. 

That  there  are  many  blemishes  in  the  following 
pages  the  author  himself  is  conscious,  but  he  hopes 
that  the  reader  will  be  lenient  when  he  remembers 
that  there  was  no  possibility  of  consulting  those 
who  alone  could  have  given  help,  had  they  been 
at  hand — the  missionaries.  Working,  as  they  are, 
among  the  Eskimos,  they  are  hopelessly  cut  off 
from  the  outer  world.  How  complete  is  their 
isolation  may  be  well  illustrated  by  what  is  passing 
in  the  author's  mind  as  he  writes  this  preface.  In 
July,  1903,  Mr.  Peck  sailed  from  Peterhead  on  the 
return  voyage  to  Blacklead  Island.  About  three 
or  four  weeks  later,  on  August  13,  his  little 
daughter  died  at  Boscombe.  He  has  not  yet 


PREFACE  ix 

(August  3,  1904)  received  any  news  of  his 
terrible  loss.  The  annual  ship  has  sailed  once 
more,  but  still  some  weeks  must  elapse  before  he 
hears  that  Jesus  has  called  the  little  child  unto 
Himself,  for  "  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

Among  other  things,  this  isolation  has  made  it 
necessary  for  the  author  to  assume  responsibility 
in  certain  matters  which  certainly  would  otherwise 
have  been  submitted  for  approval  to  those  most 
concerned.  One  of  them  in  particular  is  the  title 
of  the  book.  Mr.  Peck's  earnest  wish  was  that  his 
name  should  be  kept  as  far  as  possible  in  the  back 
ground.  His  one  desire  was  that  all  glory  should 
be  given  to  God,  and  the  human  instrument  remain 
unhonoured.  He  had  hoped  that  this  volume 
would  have  gone  forth  under  another  title. 

But  reasons  which  appeared  to  be  irresistible 
were  brought  forward  for  overruling  these  wishes, 
and  it  was  decided  accordingly  to  make  use  of  Mr. 
Peck's  name.  When,  however,  he  discovers  this, 
more  than  a  year  hence,  it  will  probably  be  another 
cross  added  to  his  life,  which,  it  is  hoped,  he  will 


x  PREFACE 

cheerfully  bear  for  the  Master's  sake.  And  so, 
such  as  it  is,  this  biographical  sketch  is  sent  forth 
to  the  public,  with  the  earnest  prayer  that  though 
mistakes  of  authorship  and  errors  of  judgment  in 
editorship  may  be  detected  and  condemned,  God's 
Name  may  be  glorified,  interest  in  the  extension  of 
Christ's  kingdom  may  be  deepened,  and  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  convicting  of  sin  and  imparting 
newness  of  life  may  be  recognised. 
LITTLE  BREDY,  DORSET. 

PS. — It  should  be  stated  that  a  portion  of  the 
first  chapter,  illustrating  the  life  of  a  seaman 
on  a  British  man-of-war  more  than  thirty  years 
ago,  has  been  printed,  by  kind  permission,  from 
Life's  Look-out  by  Sydney  Watson. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

THE  EARLY  LIFE  OF  E.  J.  PECK    .        .        .        i 

CHAPTER  II 
THE  ESKIMOS  :  THEIR  ORIGIN,  GOVERNMENT,  AND 

RELIGION  22 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ESKIMOS  AT  HOME  AND  AT  WORK     .        .      46 

CHAPTER  IV 

HUDSON'S  BAY 68 

• 

CHAPTER  V 

PROGRESS — ORDINATION 87 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VI 

PAGE 

CONSOLIDATION  OF  WORK  .....     108 

CHAPTER  VII 
ITINERATIONS  AND  RESULTS     ....     123 

CHAPTER  VIII 

GATHERING  FRUIT — UNGAVA     ....    140 

CHAPTER  IX 
MARRIAGE — FORT    GEORGE       ....    162 

CHAPTER  X 

CHANGED  PLANS— HOME 181 

CHAPTER  XI 

A  NEW  VENTURE      .        .        .        *        .        *    201 

CHAPTER  XII 

DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  .   «    .  218 

CHAPTER  XIII 

PLOUGHING  AND  SOWING 236 


CONTENTS  xiii 

CHAPTER  XIV 

PAGE 

A  CORN  OF  WHEAT 258 

CHAPTER  XV 

BEARING  BURDENS 272 

CHAPTER  XVI 

BEHIND  THE  SCENES 288 

CHAPTER  XVII 
SUNSHINE  AND  RAIN         .        .        .        .        .    302 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
GATHERING  UP  FRAGMENTS         ....     321 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

To  face  page 
Map  of  the  Diocese  of  Moosonee        ...       20 

An  Eskimo  Iglo  or  Snow  House  ...  47 
Eskimo  Women  with  Dead  Seal  .  .  .  '50 
Eskimo  Women  and  Children  54 

In  a  Snow  Shelter,  Watching  a  Seal-Hole  .  62 
Little  Whale  River  in  Summer  ...  90 
Eskimo  Huts  on  Little  Whale  River  .  .  94 
Eskimo  Children  outside  Tent  .  .  .  178 

The  "  Alert "  in  Sailing  Ice  .         .         .206 

The  Settlement  on  Blacklead  Island,  Cumberland 

Sound        .......     210 

Cutting  up  a  Whale  .....     220 

Building  Blacklead  Island  ....     226 

A  Group  of  Eskimo  Children  outside  Mission      .     244 


xvi  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

To  face  page 

A  Snow-House  with  Tunnel-Porch  Banked  up      .  250 

The  Missionaries'  Home,  Blacklead  Island          .  274 
The  Rev.  E.  J.  Peck  and  First  Converts,  Black- 
lead  Island      ......  310 

An  Eskimo  Building  his  House          .         .         .  322 


CHAPTER  I 

THE    EARLY  LIFE    OF  E.  J.  PECK, 

"  Whom  shall  I  send,  and  who  will  go  for  us  ?  Then 
said  I,  Here  am  I ;  send  me." 

IN  Caesarea,  Cornelius  and  his  household  were 
seeking  the  truth.  In  Joppa,  God  was  pre 
paring  Peter  to  impart  the  truth.  Saul,  on  the 
road  to  Damascus,  was  in  great  need  of  sympathy. 
Inside  Damascus,  God  was  taking  away  the  fears 
and  doubts  of  Ananias,  so  that  he  might  give  the 
sympathy  needed. 

Far  away  in  Northern  lands  the  Eskimos  were 
waiting  for  the  Gospel,  silently  yet  eloquently 
making  their  claim  on  the  Church  of  Christ.  Thou 
sands  of  miles  away  God  was  preparing  the  mes 
senger  who  was  to  go  to  them  carrying  the  tidings 
of  salvation. 

Edmund  James  Peck  was  the  chosen  instrument. 

He  was  not  by  any  means  the  first  missionary 
from  Christendom  to  the  Eskimo  race,  for  the 
Moravians  have  laboured  long  with  great  devotion 

i  1 


2  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

among  the  inhabitants  of  the  Greenland  and 
Labrador  coasts. 

He  was  not  even  the  first  representative  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  to  come  in  contact  with 
the  Arctic  wanderers.  Bishop  Bompas,  Bishop 
Horden  and  others  had  visited  them  at  various 
points,  but  no  one  had  hitherto  devoted  his  life 
to  them. 

A  brief  sketch  of  his  life  previous  to  his  call  to 
a  most  arduous  and  self-sacrificing  work  will  be 
instructive,  as  showing  what  means  God  chooses 
for  the  preparation  of  a  Peter  or  an  Ananias  in 
these  days. 

Edmund  James  Peck  was  born  on  April  15,  1850. 
His  parents  at  this  time  lived  at  Rusholme,  near 
Manchester.  His  father  was  an  energetic,  con 
scientious,  straightforward  man,  occupied  in  a 
linen  factory.  His  mother  was  a  sweet,  happy 
Christian  woman,  whose  influence  was  largely 
exercised  upon  her  son.  Edmund  was  the  eldest 
of  the  family.  There  were  three  other  children, 
a  boy  and  two  girls,  making  up,  to  borrow  Mr. 
Peck's  joke,  a  bushel  of  them.  When  the  eldest 
child  was  seven  years  of  age  the  family  moved  to 
Dublin.  About  three  years  after  their  arrival  at 
the  Irish  capital  the  mother  died.  Her  death, 
as  is  the  death  of  every  good  mother,  was  an  irre 
parable  loss  to  the  family,  but  she  lived  again  in 
at  least  one  of  her  children. 


,      THE    EARLY    LIFE    OF   E.  J.  PECK        3 

Soon  after  this,  young  as  he  was,  Edmund  Peck 
manifested  a  spirit  of  fearlessness  and  a  desire  for 
truth  in  matters  of  religion.  He  was  surrounded 
by  many  Roman  Catholics,  and  noticing  among 
other  things  their  great  neglect  of  the  observance 
of  the  Sabbath,  though  only  eleven  years  of  age, 
he  would  speak  to  some  of  them  about  it,  and  express 
a  decided  opinion  that  a  religion  which  did  not 
bring  forth  the  fruits  of  holiness  must  be  worthless 
in  God's  sight.  In  other  ways  also,  especially  in 
conversation  with  his  father,  the  same  kind  of 
attitude  was  evident.  And  though  this  zeal  for 
God  was  lost  for  some  years  afterwards  in  a  careless 
life,  it  is  interesting  as  pointing  to  the  real  bent  of 
his  character,  and  proving  the  truth  of  the  old  adage 
that  "  the  child  is  father  to  the  man." 

When  he  was  thirteen  years  old  another  sore  trial 
befell  the  boy — the  death  of  his  father.  Speaking 
of  that  time,  he  says  :  "  The  most  vivid  and  sorrow 
ful  picture  of  my  life  was  when  I  stood  by  the  open 
grave  of  my  father,  with  the  tears  rolling  down  my 
cheeks,  as  I  remembered  that  I  was  now  left  utterly 
orphaned  in  a  lone,  lone  world."  Perhaps  this  was 
a  foreshadowing  of  his  future  loneliness  in  a  world 
of  ice. 

But  help  was  at  hand.  Edmund  Peck  had  at 
tended  the  church  of  St.  Matthias  ;  he  had  also  been 
a  member  of  the  Sunday  School  of  that  church. 
The  clergyman  was  the  Rev.  Maurice  Day,  after- 


4  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

wards  Bishop  of  Cashel,  and  he  interested  himself 
so  that  the  lad  was  enabled  to  enter  the  navy.  The 
kindly  action  of  this  clergyman  made  a  deep  im 
pression  on  the  boy's  mind.  Many  years  later, 
he  had  the  great  pleasure  of  meeting  him  again. 
The  Bishop  was  the  chairman  of  a  meeting  in 
Dublin  for  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  at  which 
his  former  Sunday  School  scholar  was  one  of  the 
speakers.  Their  joy  was  great  and  mutual. 

After  having  been  received  on  board  the  guard- 
ship,  H.M.S.  Ajax,  lying  at  Kingstown,  Edmund  Peck 
was  very  soon  drafted  to  the  training  ship,  Impreg 
nable,  stationed  at  Plymouth.  Here  he  arrived  on 
January  12,  1865,  and  remained  until  May  12,  1866. 
Then  he  joined  H.M.S.  Caledonia,  which  was  under 
orders  for  the  Mediterranean.  It  was  in  the  Great 
Sea  of  the  Old  Testament,  amid  the  historic  sur 
roundings  of  the  ancient  world,  that  the  spiritual 
life  of  the  future  missionary  was  awakened  and 
fostered. 

At  the  end  of  about  two  years  he  was  laid  low 
with  Mediterranean  fever,  and  was  brought  very 
near  to  the  gate  of  death.  In  the  weeks  of  prostra 
tion  that  followed,  one  of  the  ship's  officers  used  to 
come  and  see  him  frequently ;  and  though  we  do  not 
hear  of  these  visits  causing  the  patient  more  than 
passing  pleasure,  we  can  hardly  doubt  that  they 
had  a  permanent  effect. 
As  he  returned  to  a  slow  convalescence,  the  young 


THE    EARLY    LIFE    OF   E.  J.  PECK        5 

sailor  began  to  read  a  Bible  which  his  sister  had 
given  him  when  they  parted.  Illness  had  awakened 
him  to  his  need  of  spiritual  and  eternal  things,  and, 
in  his  own  words,  he  "  made  great  efforts  to  secure 
peace  to  his  soul."  These  efforts,  however,  were  in 
vain,  for  they  were  made  in  his  own  strength  only, 
and  "  in  the  energy  of  the  flesh."  Mr.  Peck  con 
cludes  the  review  of  this  portion  of  his  life  with  the 
expressive  sentence,  "  While  weakness  lasted,  I 
went  on  in  what  I  may  term  the  trying-to-be-a- 
Christian  state." 

As  his  health  did  not  improve,  he  was  invalided 
home  to  England  in  the  autumn  of  1868.  After 
some  time  on  furlough  he  was  sent  to  Nelson's  old 
flag-ship,  the  Victory.  Speaking  of  this  time, 
Mr.  Peck  says  :  "  Many  strange  thoughts  stirred 
within  me  as  I  looked  upon  that  spot  upon  the 
Victory's  quarterdeck  where  England's  noblest 
naval  hero  fell  fighting  the  battle  which  freed  Eng 
land  from  her  foes.  But  little  did  I  think  at  that 
time  that  the  Lord  would  call  me  to  a  conflict 
mightier  than  that  of  earthly  battles,  because 
eternal  destinies  hang  upon  the  triumphs  of  the 
host  of  God." 

When  drafted  from  the  Victory  he  joined  his  old 
vessel,  the  Caledonia,  though  with  a  new  crew.  At 
this  time  there  seems  to  have  been  some  retrogression 
in  the  struggle  for  spiritual  life.  With  returning 
health,  as  often  happens,  good  resolutions  grew 


6  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

weaker,  so  that  we  find  him  writing  :  "  For  a  time, 
at  least,  I  gave  up  private  prayer  and  the  study  of 
the  Scriptures."  But  the  wanderer  was  not  allowed 
to  wander  unwarned.  "  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are 
in  death,"  and  this  is  especially  true  in  the  case  of  a 
sailor.  Dangers  and  accidents  are  always  eloquent, 
even  when  we  cannot  hear  the  voice  of  ordinary 
passing  events.  One  day  he  was  ordered  aloft  with 
one  of  his  shipmates.  The  latter  got  into  the  rigging 
a  moment  before  him  and  a  race  upwards  ensued. 
Suddenly  a  ratline  gave  way  under  the  foot  of  his 
shipmate,  who  was  dashed  upon  the  deck  a  maimed, 
crushed  mass  of  humanity.  This  roused  thought 
in  the  one  who  was  spared :  "  Why  was  it  that  I 
was  spared  ?  Why  was  I  led  to  the  opposite  side 
of  the  rigging  to  that  which  my  poor  shipmate  had 
taken  ?  Why  ?  Because  God  had  a  life-task  for 
me  to  perform." 

On  another  day,  when  a  heavy  sea  was  running, 
he  was  sent  to  the  large  wheel,  which  had  three  tiers 
of  spokes.  A  mighty  sea  caught  the  rudder  and 
wrenched  the  wheel  from  the  grasp  of  all  the  men 
who  held  it,  dashing  upwards,  against  the  deck 
above,  one  poor  fellow  who  was  on  the  weather  side. 
We  who  were  on  the  lee-side  were  saved  from  hurt. 
The  injured  man  died  soon  afterwards  as  a  result  of 
the  accident. 

Whatever  effect  these  and  similar  accidents  had 
upon  the  young  sailor  at  the  time,  they  were  brought 


THE   EARLY    LIFE    OF   E.  J.  PECK        7 

to  his  remembrance  later  and  used  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  the  guidance  and  moulding  of  his  life.  If 
it  be  true 

That  not  a  worm  is  cloven  in  vain, 
That  not  a  moth  with  vain  desire 
Is  shrivel'd  in  a  fruitless  fire, 

Or  but  subserves  another's  gain, 

how  much  more  the  sudden  death  of  one  with  whom 
we  are  closely  associated !  God's  voice  is  always 
to  be  heard  by  those  who  have  ears  to  hear. 

It  was,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  some  time  after  this, 
on  board  his  next  ship,  the  Excellent,  that  the  pearl 
of  great  price  was  found.  Mr.  Peck  says,  "  One 
evening,  when  reading  i  John  v.  9-13,  this  glorious 
passage  was  made  the  means  of  bringing  peace, 
perfect  peace,  to  my  troubled  conscience.  With 
what  power  and  force  did  these  words  of  God  speak 
to  my  poor  longing,  trembling  heart !  What  a  mine 
of  comfort  they  held  for  me,  and  still  hold,  not  only 
for  myself,  but  for  all  those  who  will  accept  them  !  " 

Truly,  the  spirit  breatheth  where  He  listeth.  We 
understand  readily  enough  that  the  whispered 
breath  may  be  wafted  to  the  weary  soul  in  the  hush 
of  the  sanctuary;  in  the  stillness  of  the  prayer- 
chamber  ;  in  the  solemn  hours  of  the  night.  We 
understand  the  louder  message  of  God  being  heard 
in  the  inspired  voice  from  the  Church  pulpit  or  the 
pleading  tones  of  the  Mission  Room.  We  can  under 
stand  the  awful  call  of  God  to  repentance  coming 


8  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

from  the  earthquake  or  the  thunder  as  on  Sinai. 
There  is  a  certain  agreement  and  harmony  between 
them. 

But  we  should  be  inclined  to  say  that  the  confused 
discords  of  Babel  were  no  surroundings  for  the 
Spirit  of  Pentecost.  And  yet  it  was  a  veritable 
Babel  on  board  ship  between  thirty  and  forty  years 
ago,  in  which  the  Holy  Breath  came  into  the  life  of 
young  Peck  and  took  possession  of  him. 

There  was  no  nook  for  quiet  meditation  where  a 
seaman  could  be  alone.  Every  place  was  public, 
every  place  was  noisy.  Here  is  a  group  playing  a 
forbidden  game  of  cards  under  cover  of  a  barrier 
formed  of  piled-up  "  ditty  boxes"  a  mess  kettle,  and 
other  unshorelike  obstacles.  There  is  a  man  play 
ing  his  banjo  with  his  eternal  tumma-tumma- turn- 
turn.  In  another  part  is  a  concertina  in  full  swing 
playing  "  Jack's  the  Lad,"  while  a  score  or  more  of 
step-dancers  execute  wonderful  performances  with 
their  bare  feet  on  the  deck,  their  rough  [soles  sound 
ing  like  the  rasp  of  a  knife  being  cleaned  on  a  brick- 
dust  board.  In  another  part  are  seen  two  young 
fellows,  locked  in  each  other's  arms  in  orthodox 
ballroom  fashion,  whirling  gracefully  round  in  the 
dreamy  mazes  of  a  valse,  the  music  being  hummed 
by  the  pair  in  turn. 

Yet  again  a  sombre-minded  sailor  chants  dole 
fully  that  dreariest  of  all  ditties,  "  Babara  Allan," 
beloved  of  Jack  years  ago.  Close  by  him,  another 


THE   EARLY   LIFE   OF   E.  J.  PECK        9 

tar  with  a  hammer  is  whack,  whacking  a  leather 
sole  before  clumping  it,  as  well  as  any  shoemaker,  on 
to  the  waiting  boot,  and  thus  proving  that  "  a  sailor 
can  do  anything."  A  little  knot  of  men  is  in  hot 
and  fiery  argument  over  the  Tichborne  Case ;  another 
over  the  merits  of  a  new  gun.  Here  is  a  man  writing 
to  his  sweetheart ;  another  is  making  a  twine  cabbage- 
net  for  the  mess ;  a  third  is  mangling  his  washed 
clothes  with  the  bottom  of  an  enamelled  basin  or 
rolling-pin.  The  gangway  is  blocked  here  and  there 
by  men  with  fathoms  of  spun  yarn  and  canvas- 
wrapped  leaf- tobacco,  "  heaving "  it  into  those 
huge  cigar-shaped  rolls  much  appreciated  by  sailors, 
envied  and  coveted  by  shore  smokers — a  hundred  or 
two  of  men  laughing,  talking,  skylarking  ;  this  is  the 
scene  into  which  the  Gracious  Spirit  enters,  and  seek 
ing  out  amid  the  din  of  that  deck  the  young  sailor 
who,  defying  all  opposition,  sits  reading  his  Bible, 
whispers  to  him  the  word  of  peace  and  assurance. 

On  January  7,  1874,  he  was  transferred  from  the 
Excellent  to  H.M.S.  Hector,  the  guardship  in  South 
ampton  Water,  and  here  he  formed  a  friendship 
with  John  Martin,  sailmaker,  Sydney  Watson, 
carpenter's  yeoman,  and  Tom  Yeadle,  seaman. 
These  four  eventually  came  to  be  like-minded  in 
spiritual  things,  and  so  were  also  inseparable,  meet 
ing  together  night  after  night  for  prayer  and  praise. 
But  they  could  not  remain  satisfied  with  mutual 
edification.  They  must  offer  their  good  things  to 


io  THE  LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

others  also.  Referring  to  these  days,  Mr.  Peck 
writes :  "  A  little  band  of  the  Lord's  people,  being 
thus  brought  together,  we  were  almost  immediately 
led  to  try  and  do  something  for  our  unconverted 
shipmates.  Very  soon  we  had  interested  one  or 
two  more  seamen  to  join  us,  men  for  whose  con 
version  we  never  ceased  to  pray.  Then  as  the  days 
went  on,  and  our  little  nightly  gathering  grew  more 
and  more  precious,  we  divided  the  hour  spent,  mak 
ing  the  definite  study  of  the  Bible  a  part  of  the 
exercises ;  for  each  felt  the  need  of  feeding  in  the 
green  pastures.'  " 

But  they  were  not  allowed  much  peace  outwardly. 
They  were  hunted  about  constantly  from  place  to 
place  by  many  in  authority  who  seemed  to  take  a 
pleasure  in  persecuting  them.  Among  their  bitterest 
enemies  was  a  ship's  corporal,  who,  though  he  drove 
them  like  partridges,  was  forced  to  give  an  unwilling 
testimony  to  the  effect  of  their  meetings.  The 
corporals'  mess  was  cleaned  and  cared  for  by  a  smart 
but  ungodly  lad,  who  held  the  rating  in  the  ship  of 
first-class  boy.  This  lad  came  down  on  one  occa 
sion  to  a  meeting  which  was  being  held  in  the  seclu 
sion  of  the  carpenter's  store  room.  He  was  decidedly 
impressed,  and  this  proved  to  be  only  the  first  of 
many  gatherings  that  he  afterwards  joined.  For 
he  came  again  and  again.  Whether  he  was  truly 
converted  or  not  was  not  manifest,  but  certainly 
his  whole  life  was  changed.  One  night,  as  three 


THE   EARLY    LIFE  OF  E.    J.   PECK    n 

of  the  band  of  men  were  emerging  from  the  store 
room,  their  old  enemy  the  corporal  saw  them,  and 
beckoned  them  to  him.  As  they  ranged  up  close 
to  his  table,  he  said  :  "  What  in  the  name  of  fortune 
do  you  do  down  there  with  the  fellows  ?  They  go 
down  .devils  and  come  up  saints."  The  words 
speak  for  themselves,  and  prove  that  God  was  mani 
fested  in  these  humble  but  happy  gatherings. 

The  petty  persecutions  directed  against  these 
men,  who  had  banded  themselves  together  for  devo 
tion  and  spiritual  edification,  after  a  time  became 
so  constant  that  they  could  find  no  cave  of  Adullam 
as  a  permanent  refuge.  Accordingly  they  sum 
moned  up  courage  enough  to  make  an  official  appli 
cation  for  a  spot  where  they  might  meet,  "  none 
daring  to  make  us  afraid,"  and  in  response  to  their 
appeal  they  were  granted  the  use  of  one  of  the  bath 
rooms.  What  precious  times  they  spent  there ; 
how  sweet  their  memory  still !  One  of  these  even 
ings  stands  out  vividly  to  this  day.  The  iron  room 
is  about  twelve  feet  by  nine ;  along  three  sides  are 
massive  iron  baths,  surmounted  by  huge  pipes,  and 
great  glittering  brass  cocks.  The  deck  under  foot 
is  covered  with  three-inch  wooden  gratings,  sodden 
with  water  which,  swayed  with  every  motion  of  the 
vessel,  rushes  up  over  the  men's  bare  feet.  There  is  a 
general  sense  of  cold,  chill  damp  pervading  the  place, 
but  it  does  not  damp  or  chill  the  ardour  of  the  little 
band  of  ten  or  a  dozen  sailors  gathered  there.  The 


12  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

little  company  are  pitched  (the  Americanism  "  fixed- 
up  "  would  be  perhaps  an  appropriate  word)  in  all 
sorts  of  odd  positions ;  some  are  seated  on  their 
low  ditty  boxes  (ten  inches  long,  eight  wide,  seven 
deep,  their  size)  placed  on  the  wet  deck  gratings  ; 
some  perch  upon  the  cold,  damp  iron  edge  of  the 
long  baths ;  some  stand  leaning  against  the  rough 
iron  plates  of  the  walls  of  the  room.  The  gathered 
drops  on  the  iron  plates  overhead  and  on  the  plates 
which  form  the  sides  of  the  room,  make  the  whole 
place  a  kind  of  "  nautical  dripping  well."  All  the 
men  have  Bibles  in  their  hands,  and  there  is  a  look 
of  eager  interestedness  upon  the  faces.  The  subject 
of  the  Bible  Reading  is  "  Heart  Religion,"  the  place 
of  reading  the  latter  part  of  Deuteronomy  v.,  and 
the  early  part  of  the  next  chapter. 

"  Listen  to  these  words  again,  chums,"  says  the 
old  sailmaker  as  he  repeats  his  reading.  *  I  have 
heard  the  voice  of  the  words  of  this  people,  which 
they  have  spoken  .  .  .  they  have  well  said  all  that 
they  have  spoken.  O,  that  there  was  such  an  heart 
in  them,  that  they  would  fear  ME,  and  keep  MY 
commandments  always." 

"Ah,  chums,"  he  goes  on,  "it  makes  all  the 
difference  whether  a  man  has  a  head  or  a  heart  reli 
gion.  Head  religion  is  like  moonlight ;  that  is  pretty 
and  cold,  and  romantic  like,  good  for  courting 
couples  and  for  pictures,  for  poets  and  book-writing 
fellows  when  they  want  to  make  a  pretty  scene, 


THE    EARLY    LIFE    OF   E.  J.  PECK      13 

but  it  has  no  notion  of  melting  ice  or  warming  the 
earth.  And  it  is  just  like  that  with  head  religion — 
there's  no  warmth,  no  life  in  it.  There  ain't  ne'er 
a  one  of  us  here  as  would  be  so  green  as  to  hold  our 
hands  out  to  the  moon  to  warm  them ;  but  there  are 
folks  foolish  enough  to  try  and  heal  broken  hearts,  and 
to  warm  their  cold  souls  with  head  religion.  Then 
when  they  find  it  is  all  a  failure,  they  blame  God  and 
the  Bible.  They  say  there's  nothing  in  any  religion, 
it's  all  a  farce,  and  they'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  it , 
Poor  things !  They're  moow-blind,  or  they  would 
see  the  truth  as  God  tries  to  teach  it  all  through  the 
Bible,  that  *  it  is  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness.' " 

Here  the  good  old  man  tucked  his  book  under  his 
arm,  rubbed  his  hands  together  with  an  almost 
boyish  glee,  as  he  continued :  "  Hallelujah  !  for  the 
sunshine — God's  sunshine — the  joy  of  theLord !  Why, 
look  here.  The  other  night  when  that  little  chap 
was  singing  his  ditty  on  the  upper  deck,  '  I  love  the 
merry  sunshine,'  you  remember  how  everybody 
clapped  him,  and  encored.  I  could  not  help  wishing 
that  a  few  of  them  would  learn  to  love  God's  heart- 
sunshine.  Thank  God,  He  has  made  it  so  easy  to 
have  heart  religion !  Everyone  has  the  power  to 
trust,  to  believe." 

A  few  more  words  from  John  Martin,  and  on 
they  read :  "  And  thou  shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign 
upon  thine  hand," 


14  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

''  What  does  that  mean  ?  "  asked  a  young  sailor. 
"  How  can  we  carry  religion  on  our  hands  ?  " 

"  Well,  the  idea  comes  to  me  like  this,"  replied 
another :  "If  a  gent  has  a  regular  tip- top  ring,  a 
diamond,  or  something  like  that,  he's  not  only  not 
ashamed  of  it,  but  he  takes  good  care  that  everyone 
shall  see  it.  You'll  see,  he'll  stick  out  his  finger 
when  he  lifts  up  his  glass  of  wine  to  his  lips ;  an'  if 
he's  twistin'  his  moustache,  somehow  you  don't 
see  the  twist  of  the  hair,  but  you  do  the  twirl  of  that 
diamond.  And  it  strikes  me  that  God  means  to 
say  to  us,  if  our  religion  is  worth  anything  people 
will  see  it  as  readily  as  though  it  was  a  diamond 
ring  bound  upon  our  finger." 

Then,  with  a  smile  at  the  young  sailor  who  had 
made  the  inquiry,  the  expounder  continued  :  "  Don't 
you  remember,  chum,  when  you  an'  me  was  ship 
mates  in  the  C ,  and  we  went  ashore  together 

at  Madras,  how  we  saw  the  different  sects  of  Hindoos 
with  their  castemarks  in  their  foreheads,  and  how 
proud  they  were  of  them,  and  how  plainly  the  marks 
showed  up  to  everyone  ?  " 

"  Right  yer  are,  I  remember !  But  what's  that 
got  to  do  with  religion  on  the  hand  ?  "  said  the 
young  sailor. 

"  Nothing  to  do  with  the  hand,"  replied  the 
other.  "  But  that  same  verse  has  something  about 
the  foreheads,  too,"  and,  lifting  his  Bible,  the  sea 
man  expositor  read,  by  the  light  of  the  lantern 


THE    EARLY    LIFE    OF   E.  J.  PECK      15 

which  swung  from  the  ceiling,  "  And  they  shall  be 
as  frontlets  between  thine  eyes."  "  That  is  plainer 
still,  chums ;  a  fellow  might  lose  his  hands  or  hide 
them  in  his  pockets,  but  with  God  stamped  on  his 
brow,  I  suppose  everyone  will  know  he  is  born 
again." 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  faithful  description  of 
this  meeting,  which  is  but  a  sample  of  many  like  it, 
that  though  the  men  who  were  gathered  together 
may  not  have  had  much  critical  knowledge  of  the 
Book  of  the  Old  Testament  which  they  read,  they 
had  nevertheless  grasped  the  simple  truth  of  God's 
love,  and  realizing  this  they  could  give  back  love 
and  praise  to  Him  who  had  made  them  new  creatures 
in  Christ  Jesus. 

Besides  the  sustaining  of  spiritual  life  there  was 
another  result  in  the  case  of  Edmund  Peck  and  one 
other  member  of  this  little  society  of  godly  men. 
These  two  determined  to  improve  themselves  from 
the  educational  point  of  view.  Morning  after 
morning  they  were  up  and  dressed  and  at  their 
studies  by  four  o'clock.  The  first  half  hour  or  so 
was  spent  in  private  devotion  and  Bible  reading. 
After  that  they  would  read  and  write  for  the  cultiva 
tion  of  the  mind  and  intellect.  But  just  as  the 
meetings  of  the  original  four  men  for  spiritual  edifi 
cation  found  a  wider  expansion  when  they  began  to 
invite  their  shipmates  to  join  them,  so  there  was  a 
similar  result  in  this  more  secular  matter.  The  two 


16  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

friends  found  so  great  a  delight  in  their  books  that 
it  became  their  increasing  desire  to  share  their  privi 
leges  with  others.  So  they  began  to  cast  about 
in  their  minds  for  some  plan  of  action.  After  much 
thought  and  prayer  as  to  what  they  should  do  for 
their  shipmates,  they  decided  to  send  a  few  pounds 
to  London  to  their  friend,  Mr.  Wm.  Cheshire, 
Engraver,  of  Holborn  Viaduct,  and  of  Stirling  Villa, 
Sutton,  Surrey,  asking  him  to  lay  the  money  out  in 
suitable  books  for  lending  to  the  crew. 

There  was  a  ship's  library,  of  course,  on  board 
the  vessel,  but  it  was  a  very  small  affair,  and  very 
dry,  and  very,  very  stale,  so  that  scarcely  any  one 
thought  of  asking  for  a  book.  (Things  in  the  Navy, 
in  this  respect,  have  somewhat  improved,  but 
in  those  days,  a  ship's  library  was  an  Ezekiel's 
Valley,  "  full  of  dry  bones.") 

On  receipt  of  the  letter  and  postal  orders  for  two 
or  three  pounds,  Mr.  Cheshire  was  so  delighted  with 
their  notion  that  he  started  off  to  see  Mr.  Samuel 
Partridge,  of  the  well-known  Paternoster  Row  firm. 
Showing  that  good  man  the  letter,  he  asked :  "  If 
two  man-of-war's  men  can  do  this  much  out  of  love 
for  the  souls  of  their  shipmates,  I  feel  that  some  of 
us  who  are  Christians  and  in  the  book  trade  ought 
to  help  them  a  little.  What  will  you  do,  Mr.  Part 
ridge  ?  " 

"  Do ! "  said  that  gentleman.  "  I'll  do  this :  For 
everyfpound's  worth  of  books  you  can  get  in  the 


THE   EARLY   LIFE   OF  E.   J.    PECK     17 

Row  gratis,  I'll  add  a  pound's  worth  at  the  same 
rate." 

Mr.  Cheshire  called  upon  other  publishers,  and  two 
others  specially  helped  him,  Messrs.  Shaw,  of  48,  Pater 
noster  Row,  and  Mr.  Haughton,  author  of  Heaven, 
and  How  to  Get  There,  and  other  kindred  books; 

The  price  of  books  thirty  years  ago  bears  no  com 
parison  with  that  of  to-day.  They  had  supposed 
that  a  parcel  in  size  about  two  feet  by  one  would 
have  been  about  the  kind  of  thing  they  should 
receive ;  their  surprise  when  the  parcel  actually 
came  was  beyond  all  expression.  The  vessel  was 
lying  off  Cowes  at  the  time,  in  attendance  upon  her 
Majesty,  who  was  at  Osborne.  The  case  was  ad 
dressed  to  Sydney  Watson,  carpenter's  yeoman,  and 
he  was  summoned  on  to  the  quarterdeck  one  after 
noon,  and  was  asked  what  that  huge  case  contained 
which  was  alongside,  and  addressed  to  him,  and 
who  gave  him  permission  to  order  goods  to  that 
amount,  since  he  was  not  entitled  by  rank  to  have 
any  box  on  board  other  than  his  tool  chest  ? 

He  replied  that  he  had  not  yet  seen  the  parcel, 
but  that  he  and  a  chum  certainly  had  sent  for  a  few 
pounds'  worth  of  books,  to  distribute  on  loan,  to 
their  shipmates  in  their  messes. 

The  officer  fumed,  and  said  that  the  Government 
found  all  stores  needed  for  the  men,  and  that  the 
owner  could  order  the  case  to  be  sent  ashore  again, 
as  it  certainly  should  not  come  on  board. 

2 


i8  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

The  carpenter's  yeoman,  dismissed  from  the 
presence  of  the  irate  officer,  went  to  the  gangway 
to  see  the  parcel.  It  measured  quite  three  feet  each 
way — a  stout,  wooden  case,  iron-banded. 

Passing  down  into  the  lighter  on  which  it  lay,  he 
explained  the  difficulty  to  the  man  in  charge,  gave 
him  a  tip  for  his  trouble,  and  asked  him  to  request 
his  manager  at  Cowes  to  let  the  case  stay  in  his 
warehouse  until  he  could  get  ashore,  which  would 
probably  be  the  next  day. 

It  was  the  commander  who  had  refused  permission 
for  the  case  to  come  on  board,  and  shortly  after,  when 
on  shore,  he  was  taken  seriously  ill  with  gout.  This 
was  the  opportunity.  Formal  application  was 
made  to  the  next  in  command,  and  he  readily  allowed 
the  box  to  be  brought  on  the  ship.  They  had  to 
put  a  stout  whip  on  the  mainyard  end  to  hoist  the 
box  (all  nautical  readers  will  understand  this  allu 
sion),  and  after  some  considerable  excitement  the 
thing  was  housed  in  the  store-room,  though  it  only 
just  passed  down  through  the  square  of  the  hatch. 
The  unpacking  and  sorting  of  that  box  was  a  won 
drous  time,  for  the  contents  were  altogether  beyond 
their  conception  of  book  wealth ;  and  when,  two 
days  later,  on  the  Sunday  afternoon,  immediately 
after  dinner,  the  two  chums  carried  a  number  of 
books,  on  loan,  to  each  mess,  their  shipmates  were 
as  delighted  as  they  were  amazed.  Only  one  thing 
was  needed  to  complete Jihe  joy  of  that  first  distribu- 


THE  EARLY   LIFE  OF  E.   J.   PECK     19 

tion  of  loan  literature,  namely,  the  presence  of 
Messrs.  Cheshire,  Partridge,  Shaw  and  Haughton, 
that  they  might  have  seen  how  the  sailors  appre 
ciated  their  kindness  and  generosity.  That  case 
of  books  proved  an  untold  blessing  to  the  ship's 
messes. 

Interesting  as  are  the  scenes  on  this  side  of  naval 
life,  and  tempting  as  they  are  to  linger  over,  the 
narrative  must  hasten  on  to  that  which  was  in  parti 
cular  one  issue  of  them.  We  glance  at  Mr.  Peck's 
notes,  and  he  takes  up  the  story  which  links  the 
Eskimos  and  their  spiritual  destinies  with  a  British 
man-of-war : — 

"  About  this  time  Tom  Yeadle,  the  seaman  gunner, 
informed  me  that  he  had  heard  from  a  clergyman, 
the  Rev.  T.  Romaine  Govett,  Vicar  of  Newmarket, 
asking  him  to  leave  the  Service  and  go,  if  possible, 
to  Newmarket,  as  Scripture  Reader.  Tom  Yeadle, 
for  certain  family  and  personal  reasons,  finding  it 
impossible  to  comply  with  his  friend's  request, 
referred  the  clergyman  to  me  (E.  J.  Peck),  saying 
that  he  thought  I  might  be  able  to  go.  After  prayer 
ful  consideration  and  some  correspondence  with 
Mr.  Govett,  I  was  able — through  the  permission  of 
the  naval  authorities,  of  course — to  purchase  my 
discharge,  and  I  finally  left  the  Navy  on  May  7, 
1875,  and  went  to  Mr.  Govett  a  few  days  after. 

"  The  Rev.  T.  Romaine  Govett  was,  in  many 
respects,  a  remarkable  man  of  God,  and  I  could 


20  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

never,  if  I  tried,  tell  all  that  I  owe,  under  God,  to 
his  wonderful  influence  upon  my  life  and  thought. 

"  My  time  at  Newmarket  was  chiefly  spent  in 
study,  visiting  from  house  to  house  and  reading 
God's  word  to  the  people,  holding  cottage  meetings, 
and  doing  what  I  could  for  the  racing  men  and 
others  engaged  in  the  '  horsey  fever,'  and  all  of 
whom  seemed  to  live  only  for  pleasure  and  gain. 

"  I  had  conceived  a  desire  to  be  a  missionary,  and 
the  desire  grew  stronger  every  day,  while  Mr.  Govett 
rejoiced  to  foster  it,  offering  to  help  me  forward  in 
my  project  in  any  way  possible  to  him.  One  morn 
ing  he  called  me  up  into  his  study  and  informed  me 
that  he  had  thought  deeply  over  my  missionary 
wishes,  so  much  so,  that  on  the  previous  night  he 
could  hardly  sleep,  and  spent  much  of  the  night  in 
prayer  and  deep  thought  upon  the  matter.  He  also 
informed  me  that  he  had  decided  to  write  to  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  Salisbury  Square,  and 
invite  them  to  take  me  into  their  training  institute. 
With  feelings  which  I  cannot  describe  I  went  up  to 
London  to  see  members  of  the  committee,  and  after 
a  very  searching  examination  I  was  accepted  for 
training,  and  entered  the  Society's  preparatory  insti 
tute  at  Reading  in  the  latter  part  of  1875. 

"  I  had  been  studying  some  months,  when  one 
morning  I  was  startled  by  receiving  a  call  to  pro 
ceed  to  the  Society's  offices  in  London  (Salisbury 
Square).  On  my  arrival  I  was  ushered  into  the 


MAP   OF   THE    DIOCESE   OF    MOOSONEE. 

[The  map  of  the  United  Kingdom,  on  the  same  scale,  has  been  inserted  to  show  how  vast  are 
the  distances  to  be  traversed.] 


THE   EARLY   LIFE   OF  E.    J.    PECK     21 

presence  of  the  Rev.  H.  Wright,  and  pointing  to 
the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  he  told  me  that  Bishop 
Horden  needed  a  man  to  go  forward  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  Eskimos.  With  the  holy  enthusiasm 
of  the  true  missionary  he  reminded  me  that  it  might 
be  the  Lord's  will  to  gather,  through  my  instru 
mentality,  a  people  from  these  inhospitable  wilds 
to  be  sons  and  daughters  of  God. 

"  '  Will  you  go  ?  '  he  asked. 

"  Moved,  doubtless,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  I  imme 
diately  replied  that  I  was  willing  to  go.  A  short 
time  was  placed  at  my  disposal  to  bid  farewell  to 
my  loved  ones,  and  to  prepare  for  the  voyage — a 
voyage,  be  it  remembered,  which  can  only  be  made 
once  a  year,  at  one  special  season.  Mr.  WTright 
and  his  family  showed  me  not  a  little  kindness,  and 
it  was  from  their  never-to-be-forgotten  home  that  I 
finally  started  for  my  port  of  embarkation  in  the 
beginning  of  June,  1876." 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   ESKIMOS — THEIR    ORIGIN,    GOVERNMENT   AND 
RELIGION 

"  I  am  debtor  both  to  the  Greeks  and  to 
the  Barbarians." 

"  Come  over  into  Macedonia  and  help  us." 

NOW  that  we  have  seen  the  man  whom  God 
had  prepared  for  His  call  and  work,  let  us 
visit  the  people  for  whom  he  was  prepared,  and 
learn  something  of  their  needs. 

Shall  we  try  to  imagine  a  scene  which  may  have 
taken  place  some  300  years  ago  or  thereabouts  ? 
The  French  had  begun  to  colonise  Canada.  The 
city  of  Quebec  was  about  to  be  founded.  One 
day  a  French  settler  had  penetrated  perhaps  further 
north  than  usual.  He  met  a  strange-looking  man. 
He  was  broad-faced,  flat-featured,  smiling,  good- 
tempered,  sallow  complexioned,  rather  short,  quite 
unlike  the  Indians  by  whom  the  Frenchman  was 
accompanied,  and  with  whom  he  had  been  quite 
familiar.  He  asked  his  companions  : 

"  Who  is  this  ?  " 

With  a  contemptuous  curl  of  the  lip  the  Indians 

answered  : 


THE  ESKIMOS  :    THEIR   ORIGIN        23 

"  leschimou,"  which  being  interpreted  is,  "  He 
is  a  raw-flesh  eater." 

As  the  French  became  more  and  more  familiar 
with  the  people  from  the  North,  the  word  in  a 
somewhat  altered  form  passed  into  their  language, 
and  they  became  known  henceforward  to  all 
Europeans  as  Esquimaux,  or,  as  the  word  is  now 
generally  spelt,  Eskimos. 

It  will  then  be  readily  seen,  if  this  be  the  correct 
derivation  of  the  name,  that  a  term  of  contempt, 
such  as  it  is,  would  not  be  likely  to  be  in  use  among 
the  Eskimos.  It  is  a  mere  nickname  bestowed 
upon  them  by  the  outside  world.  They  are  quite 
satisfied  about  their  own  superiority  over  the  rest 
of  mankind,  as  were  the  Jews  and  Greeks  of 
old.  At  least,  we  should  be  inclined  to  say  so  if 
we  may  judge  from  the  name  which  they  apply 
to  themselves.  This  is  Innuet,  which  may  be 
translated  by  The  People,  though  the  root  mean 
ing  seems  to  be  owner.  We  are  told  in  the  old 
Hebrew  record  of  the  Creation  that  God  saw  every 
thing  that  He  had  created,  and  it  was  very  good. 
"  No,"  say  the  Eskimo,  "  that  is  not  true,"  if  we 
may  credit  a  tradition  that  is  said  to  come  from  the 
region  of  the  Mackenzie  River :  "  God  first  made 
different  tribes  of  Indians  and  different  nations  of 
White  men,  and  He  was  not  at  all  pleased.  At  last 
He  made  the  Eskimos,  and  then  rested  from  His 
labours  perfectly  satisfied."  So  they  are  the  People. 


24  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

But  after  we  know  the  origin  of  both  names — 
the  one  by  which  they  are  known  to  the  outside 
world,  and  that  by  which  they  speak  of  themselves 
— we  wish  to  know  more.  Who  are  the  Eskimos  ? 
Where  do  they  live  ?  Whence  did  they  come  ? 

It  is  easy  to  ask  questions,  as  every  parent  of  a 
three-year-old  child  knows.  But  it  is  not  always 
easy  to  give  satisfactory  answers.  And  the  first 
and  last  of  the  above  questions  in  particular  re 
ceive  by  no  means  one  and  the  same  definite  answer 
from  different  authorities.  It  is,  of  course,  im 
possible  to  deal  exhaustively  with  the  origin  of  the 
Eskimos  here.  It  is  altogether  beyond  the  range 
of  this  book. 

A  few  facts,  however,  may  be  stated,  and  a  few 
opinions,  worthy  of  respect,  may  be  quoted,  which 
will,  perhaps,  be  suggestive  of  a  correct  view  to  the 
mind  of  the  reader  who  is  interested  in  the  subject. 

The  extent  of  the  surface  of  the  earth  which 
they  inhabit  is  very  wide.  Professor  W.  Boyd 
Dawkins,  F.R.S.,  says :  "  The  Eskimos  occupy 
the  coldest  parts  of  the  earth  in'America  and  Asia, 
and  their  civilization  is  of  a  rude  and  primitive 
type.  To  the  south  of  the  Eskimos  in  America  is  a 
debatable  land  belonging  neither  to  them  nor  to 
the  Red  Indians,  between  which  races  a  feud 
exists."  A  stretch  of  about  3,200  miles  of  con 
tinent  from  East  to  West  is  occupied  by  these 
people,  who  claim  to  be  the  aristocracy  of  God's 
creation.  But  though  their  territory  is  so  vast,  the 


THE    ESKIMOS  :    THEIR    ORIGIN        25 

number  of  the  occupants — as,  perhaps,  is  natural, 
seeing  that  perfection  can  be  attained  by  few — is 
very  small.  Various  calculations  make  the  total 
of  all  the  Eskimos  range  from  20,000  to  40,000. 

Some  authorities  make  five  divisions  of  the 
Eskimos,  according  to  the  distributions  of  their 
tribes,  extending  from  Greenland  on  the  East  to 
Alaska  on  the  West,  and  going  as  far  south  as  the 
Eastern  and  Western  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
But  there  is  not  enough  certainty  about  these 
divisions  to  make  it  worth  while  to  discuss  them. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  those  to  whom  the  reader 
will  be  introduced  are  almost  exclusively  those  of 
the  central  division  on  the  Eastern  shores  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  and  Cumberland  Sound. 

Before  the  advent  of  the  white  man  there  was 
more  movement  of  the  tribes-men  than  now  for 
purposes  of  barter  and  exchange.  The  peculiar 
stone  used  for  making  kettles,  driftwood,  ivory, 
and  kindred  articles  were  all  objects  of  value  and 
caused  intercourse  for  purposes  of  trade.  But 
now,  owing  to  the  establishment  of  whaling  and 
other  stations,  the  geographical  areas  of  the  tribes 
are  more  circumscribed  and  confined,  as  each  sta 
tion  is  a  centre  of  trade  where  most  of  the  neces 
saries  of  life  can  be  obtained. 

As  to  their  origin,  it  is  extremely  doubtful 
whether  they  came  from  Asia  or  America.  There  are 
different  authorities  of,  perhaps,  almost  equal  weight 
who  support  each  theory. 


26  THE   LIFE  OF  E.   J.    PECK 

They  are  found  on  the  east  of  the  American  Con 
tinent  at  an  early  date.  In  the  eleventh  century 
Eskimos  were  met  with  there,  according  to  the  Saga 
of  Eric  the  Red.  The  Norsemen  of  those  days 
sailed  forth  from  their  Greenland  colonies  on  voy 
ages  of  discovery.  After  striking  a  fresh  coast  and 
sailing  southwards  they  arrived,  we  are  told,  at  the 
mouth  of  a  large  river,  which  they  entered  at  high 
tide.  There  are  wonderful  tales  of  their  finding 
self-sown  wheat  fields  and  of  vines  growing  on  the 
hillsides.  The  voyagers  remained  where  they  landed 
for  some  time  and  fed  on  the  fat  of  the  land,  until  one 
morning  a  great  number  of  natives  paddling  skin 
canoes  made  their  appearance.  These  new-comers  and 
the  Norsemen  exchanged  signals  of  peace,  which  re 
sulted  in  a  friendly  intercourse  extending  over  some 
length  of  time.  The  description  of  these  natives  cor 
responds  with  that  of  the  modern  Eskimos.  They 
were  evidently  the  tawny  broad-featured  Mon 
golian  type  of  men  with  whom  we  have  become 
familiar. 

After  a  time,  however,  strife  succeeded  peace,  and 
although  the  Norsemen  defeated  the  Eskimos,  they 
resolved  to  evacuate  the  new  country  rather  than 
live  in  continual  conflict  with  the  inhabitants. 
Accordingly  they  returned  to  their  own  land. 

At  what  time  the  Eskimos  made  their  way  to 
Greenland  it  is  impossible  to  say.  The  colonists 
from  Scandinavia  do  not  seem  to  have  come  into 


THE   ESKIMOS:    THEIR   ORIGIN        27 

collision  with  them  for  400  years  after  they  had 
effected  their  settlement,  and,  if  an  argument  may 
be  drawn  from  silence,  they  did  not  even  meet  any 
inhabitants.  They  did,  however,  find  ruined  dwell 
ings  and  stone  implements  which  had  belonged  to 
some  previous  occupants.  On  them  they  bestowed 
the  name  Skroellings,  or  Weaklings,  for  they  thought 
that  the  people  who  had  such  possessions  as  these 
must  have  been  but  a  feeble  folk. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Eskimos  had  their  settle 
ments  further  north,  and  that  these  ruined  huts 
represented  temporary  sojourns  only  in  the  more 
southern  districts  of  Greenland. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  safe  to  conclude  that  the 
Skroellings  were  established  in  the  higher  latitudes 
of  Greenland  by  the  eighth  or  ninth  century. 

It  is,  however,  in  the  fourteenth  and  the  early  part 
of  the  fifteenth  centuries  that  they  come  forcibly 
into  history.  The  Scandinavian  colonies  were  then 
annihilated.  This  annihilation  is  said  to  have  been 
due  to  the  attacks  of  the  Skroellings,  though  there 
were  probably  other  causes  at  work  as  well,  such  as 
famine  and  plague.  But  whatever  happened, 
Greenland  became  from  that  time  forward  an  un 
known  land  until  it  was  opened  up  once  more  by  the 
Mission  of  Hans  Egede  in  the  year  1721.  The 
Arctic  Wanderers,  too,  remained  in  obscurity  until 
they  were  re-introduced  to  the  larger  world  under 
the  French  name  of  Esquimaux. 


28  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.  PECK 

But  this,  of  course,  proves  nothing  as  to  their 
place  of  origin.  Those  who  hold  the  view  that  the 
American  continent  was  the  first  home  of  the  Eski 
mos  believe  that  they  must  have  been  a  tribe  of 
fishing  Indians  who  formerly  lived  on  the  banks 
of  the  rivers  which  flow  into  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and 
that  they  were  gradually  driven  northwards  by  the 
pressure  of  the  Southern  tribes. 

It  is  also  said  that  their  language  bears  some 
affinity  to  the  Indian  languages  on  the  ground  that 
it,  like  them,  is  agglutinative  in  character.  But 
this,  as  Professor  Boyd  Dawkins  says,  is  not  suffi 
cient  proof  to  establish  relationship.  And  the 
Rev.  E.  J.  Peck  writes :  "I  have  had  unusual 
facilities  for  comparing  the  language  of  the  Eski 
mos  with  those  of  various  Indian  tribes — at  least, 
with  those  of  the  Indians  living  on  the  shores  of 
Hudson's  Bay  and  Ungava  Bay — and  there  is  no 
possibility  of  believing  that  these  were  originally 
an  Indian  tribe,  who  might  have  been  driven  north 
by  war  or  other  causes." 

Dr.  Rink,  who  is  a  high  authority,  believes  that 
many  Eskimo  weapons  and  implements  are  of 
American  origin,  and  that  this  fact  can  form  the 
foundation  of  a  weighty  argument.  But  we  are 
hardly  on  firm  ground  here. 

There  is  one  weapon,  indeed,  which  is  very  re 
markable,  and  if  any  argument  for  relationship 
might  be  based  upon  the  possession  of  it,  would 


THE   ESKIMOS:  THEIR   ORIGIN        29 

go  to  prove  the  existence  of  cousinship  between  the 
Eskimos  and  some  people  who  live  in  parts  of  the 
earth  very  widely  separated  from  them.  This 
is  the  thro  wing-stick,  which,  although  most  useful 
and  ingenious,  seems  to  be  known  only  in  two 
other  countries.  It  is  practically  identical  with  the 
womera  of  the  aborigines  of  Australia,  and  it  is 
also  said  to  be  known  to  some  tribes  on  the  banks 
of  the  Amazon.  It  is  probably  safer,  then,  to 
assume  that  the  mere  possession  of  a  weapon  really 
proves  nothing.  This  throwing-stick  is  a  device 
for  hurling  a  dart  with  far  greater  force  than  could 
be  brought  into  play  by  the  unaided  arm.  In 
fact,  it  practically  lengthens  a  man's  arm,  and  so 
gives  him  a  vast  amount  of  artificial  leverage.  It  is 
eighteen  or  twenty  inches  in  length,  fitted  with  a 
pivot  or  loose  hinge  at  one  end  upon  which  the 
detachable  dart  can  work  freely.  It  has  a  thumb- 
hole  and  finger-grooves  so  that  it  can  be  firmly 
grasped  in  the  right  hand.  It  is  used  both  for 
harpoons  and  bird  darts. 

On  the  whole,  the  weight  of  argument  seems  to 
be  against  an  American  origin  for  the  Eskimos,  and 
in  favour  of  an  Asiatic  one.  They  are  closely  allied 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  so 
perhaps  Keith  Johnson  is  right  when  he  believes 
that  they  crossed  from  their  own  continent  to 
America  by  the  "  natural  bridge,  or  rather  stepping- 
stones,"  which  these  islands  form. 


30  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

The  word  "  Kayak,"  which  is  the  skin-covered 
canoe  of  the  Eskimo,  may  perhaps  point  to  their 
origin.  Dr.  Isaac  Taylor  derived  it  from  a  primi 
tive  word  common  to  the  Yakut  and  Seljuk  races 
in  Asia.  According  to  him  the  original  meaning 
would  be  a  birch-covered  canoe,  but  in  lands  where 
skin  has  of  necessity  to  take  the  place  of  other 
material,  the  name  has  been  retained  though  the 
fabric  does  not  exist.  There  may,  to  say  the  least, 
be  some  history  contained  in  this  very  small  nut 
shell. 

Again,  it  seems  likely  that  the  perpetual  feud 
existing  between  the  various  Indian  tribes  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  Eskimos  on  the  other,  as  well  as 
the  debatable  land  which  separates  them,  points 
to  a  difference  of  race.  We  should  also  bear  in 
mind  the  tone  of  contempt  which  the  former  adopt 
in  speaking  of  the  latter — a  fact  of  which  use  was 
made  in  opening  this  chapter. 

Perhaps  argument  from  physical  characteristics 
may  not  be  worth  much,  for  these  may  be  influenced 
largely  by  climatic  and  other  conditions.  But 
whether  worth  much  or  little,  the  features  of  the 
Eskimos  are  in  marked  contrast  with  those  of  the 
Indians,  and  would  seem  to  speak  of  Japanese  and 
Chinamen  being  near  of  kin. 

Dr.  Rink  believes  in  an  Alaskan  origin,  but  after 
weighing  the  pros  and  cons  carefully,  Dr.  Boas  sums 
up :  "I  believe  that  an  Alaskan  origin  of  the  Eskimo 


THE    ESKIMOS :  THEIR   GOVERNMENT  31 

is  not  very  probable.  If  pure  type  and  culture 
may  be  considered  as  significant,  I  should  say  that 
the  Eskimos  west  and  north  of  Hudson's  Bay  have 
retained  their  ancient  characteristics  more  than 
any  others.  If  their  original  home  was  in  Alaska, 
we  must  add  the  hypothesis  that  their  dispersion 
began  before  contact  with  the  Indians.  If  their 
home  was  east  of  the  Mackenzie,  the  gradual  dis 
persion  and  seeming  contact  with  other  tribes 
would  account  for  all  the  observed  phenomena.  A 
final  solution  of  this  interesting  question  might 
be  obtained  by  means  of  archaeological  research  on 
the  coast  of  Bering  Sea." 

And  there,  as  far  as  these  pages  are  concerned, 
the  problem  must  be  left. 

As  to  government  among  the  Eskimos,  there  is 
almost  nothing  to  be  said,  except  that  outside  the 
family  it  is  practically  non-existent.  There  are  no 
chiefs  over  tribes,  no  rulers  and  no  laws.  It  is 
true  that  sometimes  a  man  will  be  recognized  as  a 
sort  of  leader,  but  this  is  due  to  his  own  personal 
character,  his  skill  as  a  hunter,  or  some  other 
almost  accidental  circumstance  rather  than  to  any 
hereditary  right. 

Warfare,  though  perhaps  not  uncommon  in  former 
generations,  is  now  really  unknown,  and  disputes 
between  tribes  do  not  occur.  Custom  is  the  only 
ruler,  and  is  the  one  unwritten  law  which  is  held 
up  to  be  obeyed.  Should  a  man  make  himself 


32  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

persistently  objectionable  by  constant  violation 
of  what  is  regarded  as  right  in  this  way,  he  is 
generally  punished  by  a  sort  of  ostracism ;  but 
this  is  rarely  resorted  to.  In  extreme  cases  offend 
ers  have  been  known  to  be  put  out  of  the  way 
by  a  sort  of  judicial  murder. 

The  love  of  peace  characterises  not  only  the 
tribes  in  their  relations  with  one  another,  but  also 
the  individual  members  of  each  community.  "  I 
have  known,"  says  Mr.  Peck,  "  cases  where,  rather 
than  quarrel,  the  offended  party  has  refrained  from 
retaliation  in  the  slightest  degree,  and,  with  some 
simple  conciliatory  remark,  has  walked  away." 

It  may  be  pointed  out  in  passing  that  if  the 
accounts  of  the  extermination  of  the  Scandinavian 
colonies  on  the  Greenland  coast  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made, 
be  at  all  accurate,  that  chapter  of  history,  as  well 
as  the  records  of  tribal  wars  among  themselves, 
would  indicate  that  the  temper  of  the  modern 
Eskimo  is  vastly  different  from  that  of  his  Skroelling 
progenitor. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  inquiry  we  can  mak  * 
about  any  people  is  concerning  their  religion. 

And  here  a  great  deal  might  be  said,  for  many 
facts  are  known,  but  we  must  content  ourselves 
with  a  brief  summary. 

There  is  no  system  of  worship,  and  the  religious 
ideas  of  the  Eskimos  are  connected  with  the  nega- 


THE    ESKIMOS  :  THEIR    RELIGION       33 

live  position  of  propitiation  rather  than  with  any 
positive  reverence  or  love  for  God  or  gods.  The 
cause  of  this  is  perhaps  that  the  world  is  regarded 
as  governed  by  supernatural  powers,  each  of  which 
is  the  owner  of  some  particular  object,  or  animal, 
or  passion.  The  unseen  owner  is  the  innua.  We 
have  had  this  word  before  as  applied  to  the  Eskimos 
by  themselves.  Now  the  innua  seems  to  have  a 
very  intimate  connection  with  its  object,  just  as 
the  soul  with  the  body,  and,  supernatural  though 
it  is,  it  seems  very  ready  to  take  offence  if  all  its 
prejudices  are  not  strictly  regarded.  And  so  the 
religion  of  these  people  consists  chiefly  in  the 
observance  of  a  vast  number  of  taboos,  wearing 
of  charms,  and  other  superstitious  practices  in 
order  to  avert  misfortune. 

A  very  long  list  of  the  taboos  might  be  written, 
but  let  a  few,  enumerated  by  Dr.  Boas,  suffice : — 

"  No  work  on  seal-skins  must  be  done  during 
the  caribou  hunting  season.  Seal-meat  and  caribou 
meat  must  not  be  eaten  on  the  same  day." 

"  Hair  of  caribou-skins  must  not  be  cut  during 
the  musk-ox  hunting  season." 

"  The  tusks  of  walrus  caught  during  the  winter 
must  not  be  taken  out  of  the  skulls  until  the  latter 
part  of  April." 

"A  person  who  has  recently  lost  a  relative  by 
death  must  not  pluck  ducks,  else  the  birds  will  keep 
awayjrom  the  hunters." 

3 


34  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

"  No  work  must  be  done  for  three  days  after 
a  bear  or  a  ground  seal  has  been  killed.  The 
women  must  not  comb  their  hair.'* 

"  The  bedding  must  not  be  disturbed  until  late  on 
the  day  when  a  ground  seal  has  been  caught,"  and  so 
on  ad  infinitum.  The  origin  of  these  taboos  is  impos 
sible  to  find,  though  in  some  cases  there  are  stories 
concerning  them.  For  instance,  walrus  and  caribou 
must  not  come  in  contact  any  more  than  seal  and 
caribou,  as  in  the  first  taboo  mentioned  above.  This 
is  accounted  for  by  the  dislike  of  these  animals  for 
each  other  as  indicated  in  the  following  tradi 
tion  :  "A  woman  created  both  these  animals 
from  parts  of  her  clothing.  She  gave  the  walrus 
antlers  and  the  caribou  tusks.  When  man  began 
to  hunt  them  the  walrus  upset  the  boats  with  his 
antlers  and  the  caribou  killed  the  hunter  with  his 
tusks.  Therefore  the  woman  called  both  animals 
back  and  took  the  tusks  from  the  caribou  and  gave 
them  to  the  walrus.  She  kicked  the  caribou's 
forehead  flat  and  put  the  antlers  on  it.  Ever  since 
that  time  it  is  said  that  the  walrus  and  caribou 
avoid  each  other,  and  the  people  must  not  bring 
the  meat  of  these  animals  into  contact." 

In  further  explanation  why  portions  of  the 
dead  animals  must  not  be  brought  into  proximity, 
it  is  said  that  the  soul  or  innua  of  some  sea  animals 
stays  with  the  body  that  has  been  killed  for  three 
days.  Then  it  goes  back  to  the  chief  goddess 


THE    ESKIMOS  :  THEIR    RELIGION        35 

from  whom  it  originally  proceeded,  Sedna.  If 
during  these  three  days  any  transgression  of  a 
taboo  has  taken  place,  the  transgression  becomes 
attached  to  the  animal's  soul  and  causes  it  pain. 
And,  moreover,  it  is  compelled  to  take  this  trans 
gression  back  to  the  abode  of  Sedna. 

There  are  terrible  accounts  of  starvation  follow 
ing  as  a  punishment  upon  the  violation  of  th^se 
taboos.  No  seals  or  whales  or  caribou  or  game 
of  any  kind  can  be  bagged  by  the  hunter. 

In  their  extremity  the  people  call  in  the  services 
of  the  angakok,  who  is  the  magician,  sorcerer,  or 
medicine  man.  This  man  is  able  to  see  the  souls 
of  people  and  animals,  and  he  does  so  through  the 
help  of  guardian  or  familiar  spirits  (tornak).  These 
familiar  spirits  are  themselves  ruled  by  one  supreme 
spirit. 

In  the  case  of  sickness,  which  has  perhaps  resulted 
from  some  unconscious  transgression,  the  angakok 
seats  himself  in  the  snow-house  or  tent  with  a 
screen  between  himself  and  the  people  present. 
The  lamp  is  almost  extinguished.  He  takes  off 
his  outer  fur  coat,  and  begins  to  sway  his  body 
backwards  and  forwards  in  the  most  violent  manner, 
at  the  same  time  making  the  most  unearthly  yells. 
Having  worked  himself  up  to  a  state  of  great 
excitement,  he  announces  the  arrival  of  his  familiar 
spirit.  The  angakok  then  questions  this  spirit  as 
to  the  cause  of  the  present  sickness  and  trouble. 


36  THE    LIFE    OF    E.    J.    PECK 

In  return  the  spirit  gives  directions  for  the  wearing 
of  certain  charms,  abstinence  from  particular  food, 
and  other  matters.  Of  these  charms  there  is  a 
considerable  variety,  bones  and  teeth  of  animals, 
pieces  of  deer  skin  in  which  are  stitched  up  bits  of 
deer  flesh  and  sundry  articles  equally  efficacious. 
It  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  cases  where  the  wilful 
transgression  of  a  taboo  has  taken  place,  confession 
on  the  part  of  the  offender  invariably  removes  the 
calamity  that  resulted  as  a  punishment.  In  the 
case  of  a  famine,  for  instance,  the  guilty  person  is 
sought.  If  he  confesses,  the  seals  will  allow  them 
selves  to  be  caught.  If  he  obstinately  maintains 
his  innocence,  his  death  alone  can  appease  the 
offended  deity. 

Mention  was  made  of  Sedna  as  one  of  the  chief 
deities.  She  has  special  dominion  over  the  sea,  the 
weather,  and  certain  sea-animals  the  creation  of 
which  is  attributed  to  her.  There  are  variations 
in  her  story  in  different  localities,  but  the  main 
features  are  generally  the  same  everywhere. 

"  Sedna  lived  with  her  father  in  the  Eskimo 
country.  She  was  a  beautiful  girl,  and  was  wooed 
by  many  of  the  Eskimo  youths.  But  to  none  of 
her  lovers  would  she  give  her  heart.  At  last,  a 
fulmer,  a  kind  of  sea-gull,  wooed  and  won  her 
affections.  The  bird  promised  her  a  lovely  tent, 
plenty  of  food,  and  everything  that  would  gladden 
the  heart  of  a  fair  Eskimo  lady.  Trusting  his 


THE    ESKIMOS  :  THEIR   RELIGION      37 

promises,  Sedna  travelled  far  away  with  her  fulmer 
lover,  and  at  last  came  to  its  home.  But  she  was 
grievously  disappointed,  for  there  was  no  suitable 
dwelling  provided  for  her,  and  the  food,  which  with 
great  difficulty  she  obtained,  was  of  the  very 
coarsest,  poorest  kind. 

"  Sadly  she  bewailed  her  lot,  and  regretted  having 
rejected  her  many  lovers  in  the  far-off  land  of  her 
birth. 

"At  last  her  father,  in  the  following  year,  and 
when  the  weather  was  fine,  went  to  pay  her  a 
visit,  and  thus  became  aware  of  the  bitter  decep 
tion  practised  upon  his  daughter  by  her  worthless 
husband.  Filled  with  rage  the  father  killed  the 
fulmer,  and  taking  Sedna  into  his  boat,  he  pro 
ceeded  over  the  sea  to  the  place  from  whence  he 
came. 

"  The  other  fulmers  on  returning  to  their  home 
beheld  with  sorrow  and  rage  the  body  of  their  dead 
companion,  and  started  in  pursuit  of  Sedna  and  her 
father. 

"  Flying  with  swift  and  vengeful  wing  across  the 
seas  they  speedily  overtook  the  two  fugitives,  and 
intent  upon  their  revenge  they  caused  a  mighty 
storm  to  blow.  Giant  waves  rose  and  threatened 
to  engulf  Sedna  and  her  father.  The  father, 
thinking  only  of  his  own  safety,  cast  the  unfortu 
nate  girl  overboard,  but  she  clung  desperately  to 
the  gunwale  of  the  boat  with  both  hands. 


38  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

"The  inhuman  father  then  took  up  a  hatchet  and 
chopped  off  the  tips  of  his  daughter's  fingers  up  to  the 
first  joints.  These  finger  ends  dropped  into  the  sea 
and  turned  into  seals. 

"  Again  the  girl  gripped  the  gunwale  of  the  boat, 
and  again  her  father  brought  down  the  hatchet 
upon  her  fingers  and  severed  the  second  joints. 
These  mutilated  fragments  also  dropped  into 
the  sea  and  became  bearded  seals. 

"  Once  more,  in  despair,  the  wretched  Sedna  seized 
the  boat,  and  for  the  third  time  the  unnatural 
father  let  his  weapon  fall  and  cut  through  the  last 
joints.  The  stumps  of  the  fingers  in  a  similar  manner 
were  turned  into  whales. 

"  The  fulmers,  supposing  that  Sedna  was  now 
drowned  and  settled  with,  caused  the  wind  to  cease  ; 
and  when  the  storm  was  thus  suddenly  stilled  the 
father  took  his  maimed  child  back  into  the  boat. 

"  But  Sedna' s  soul  was  now  filled  with  hate  of 
her  father,  and  she  nursed  her  purpose  of  revenge 
for  all  his  diabolic  cruelty.  After  they  returned 
to  their  own  land,  she  took  an  opportunity,  when 
her  father  was  asleep,  to  set  a  pack  of  hungry  dogs 
upon  him,  who  devoured  the  soles  of  his  feet. 

"  In  a  fierce  wrath  the  father  cursed  Sedna,  him 
self,  and  the  dogs,  whereupon  the  earth  opened  and 
swallowed  up  Sedna,  her  father,  and  the  dogs,  and 
ever  since  they  have  lived  in  the  lower  parts  of  the 
earth." 


THE  ESKIMOS  :  THEIR  RELIGION        39 

The  Eskimos  thus  not  only  attribute  to  Sedna 
the  creation  of  the  sea  animals  named,  but  they  also 
believe  that  she  is  the  cause  of  the  storms  which  so 
often  sweep  over  their  icy  land  and  prevent  them 
from  successfully  pursuing  their  hunting  expeditions. 
An  annual  festival  known  as  the  Sedna  Ceremony 
is  celebrated  in  the  autumn.  The  object  of  this  is, 
as  the  people  say,  "  to  order  and  command  that 
there  shall  be  no  more  wind,  and  that  the  weather 
shall  be  only  such  as  shall  go  to  the  making  of  a 
successful  hunting  season." 

There  seem  to  be  two  parts  of  the  festival,  one 
for  the  maiming  or  driving  away  of  Sedna,  the  other 
consisting  of  rejoicing  in  the  accomplishment  of  this 
object. 

In  this  ceremony  the  angakoet  play  an  important 
part. 

Proceedings  commence  in  a  tent  by  a  line  being 
coiled  upon  the  floor  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
upper  part  of  the  coil  forms  a  small  circular  hole. 
Over  this  hole  two  angakoet  stand,  one  holding  a 
harpoon,  and  the  other  the  line  which  is  attached 
to  the  harpoon. 

Another  angakok,  seated  in  another  part  of 
the  tent,  sings  an  enticing  song  with  the  object 
of  alluring  Sedna  from  the  under  world.  Her 
arrival  is  known  by  a  blowing  noise,  and  the  anga 
kok  then  drives  the  harpoon  into  his  victim,  who, 
though  grievously  wounded,  manages  to  escape,  and 


40  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

to  descend  to  her  dreary  abode  in  the  nether  re 
gions.  She  is,  however,  supposed  for  a  time  to 
have  power  'to  hurt  the  Eskimos,  so  they  don 
charms,  which  they  wear  upon  their  heads  to 
counteract  her  sorceries. 

Sedna  having  been  thus  placed  hors  de  combat, 
the  event  is  celebrated  next  day  by  the  perform 
ance  of  the  following  ceremonies  : — 

A  circuit  is  made  of  the  settlement  by  the  people, 
those  who  were  born  in  the  winter  wearing  partridge 
feathers  in  their  head-dresses,  and  those  who  were 
born  in  the  summer  the  feathers  of  the  eider  duck. 
Imitating  the  calls  of  the  birds  which  they  severally 
represent,  ;the  people  pass  round  from  tent  to 
tent. 

The  keeper  of  the  tents  (a  woman  in  every  case) 
is  expected  to  give  them  some  presents,  which 
she  throws  among  the  noisy  crew,  who  scramble  for 
the  scattered  gifts,  and  then  pass  on  to  the  next 
tent. 

The  next  performance  is  the  "  Tug  of  War."  A 
seal-skin  line  is  used,  and  those  having  partridge 
feathers  in  their  head-dress  take  one  end  of  the 
line,  and  the  eider  ducks  the  other. 

The  hauling  and  struggling  begin,  when,  if  the 
partridges  win  the  day,  fine  weather  for  the  winter 
will  be  the  result. 

Next  comes  the  ceremony  of  water  sprinkling,  and 
telling  of  the  name  and  place  of  birth.  Each  person 


THE    ESKIMOS:    THEIR    RELIGION      41 

holds  his  or  her  drinking  cup  ;  the  oldest  man 
then  steps  forward,  takes  up  some  water,  sprinkles 
a  few  drops  on  the  ground,  turns  his  face  in  the 
direction  of  the  land  where  he  was  born,  and 
speaks  his  name  and  the  place  of  his  birth.  This 
is  next  done  by  a  woman,  and  so  on  with  the 
sexes  alternately,  until  the  whole  of  the  community 
has  performed  this  extraordinary  rite. 

After  this  follows  the  last  part  of  the  ceremony, 
of  which  the  details  are  too  revolting,  by  reason  of 
their  immorality,  to  place  before  the  readers  of  these 
pages.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  they  form  an  illustra 
tion  of  St.  Paul's  indictment  of  the  Gentile  world 
in  the  opening  chapters  of  his  epistle  to  the  Romans. 

In  connection  with  this  story  of  Sedna  and 
religious  doctrine  generally,  it  is  worthy  of  note  that 
the  Eskimo's  conception  of  the  Spirit  of  Evil  is 
unlike  that  of  any  other  nation.  The  devil  is 
feminine  instead  of  masculine.  It  may  be  sug 
gested  that  possibly  this  is  a  distorted  idea  derived 
from  the  Biblical  narrative  in  which  Eve  is  the 
channel  by  which  sin  is  introduced  into  the  world. 

Notions  of  heaven  and  a  future  state  seem  to 
be  somewhat  hazy.  There  is  a  certain  conviction 
that  this  life,  with  its  limited  sphere  of  action,  does 
not  represent  the  final  end  of  existence.  There  is, 
probably,  in  the  mind  of  every  Eskimo  some  con 
ception  of  a  material  heaven  with  abundance  of 
seals  and  the  absence  of  blizzards,  and  to  this  he 


42  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

may  some  day  attain.  For  the  good  go  to  this 
place,  viz.,  those  who  have  been  kind  to  their 
neighbours,  those  who  have  been  drowned,  those 
who  have  been  killed  while  hunting ;  also  women 
who  have  died  in  child-birth. 

On  the  other  hand,  murderers,  and  those  who 
have  been  angry  with,  and  generally  unkind  to, 
their  neighbours  go  to  the  land  which  is  below.  In 
this  region  storms  rage ;  the  cold  is  intense,  and 
animal  life  is  scarce. 

Stories  told  by  the  people  themselves  illustrate 
their  hopes  of  a  better  world  more  graphically 
than  any  words  of  explanation.  An  old  Eskimo, 
who  in  his  time  had  been  a  mighty  hunter,  told  Mr^ 
Peck  one  day  that  many  years  ago  he  had  seen  a 
very  wonderful  seal.  Its  fat  was  so  thick  and  it 
made  the  creature  so  buoyant  that  it  could  not 
dive  when  pursued  by  the  hunters.  This  aged 
Nimrod  explained  matters  by  assuring  his  visitor 
that  such  seals  fall  down  from  heaven,  and  that  the 
bliss  of  the  future  state  consists  in  the  number  of 
fat  seals,  reindeer,  and  other  coveted  animals  that 
will  be  found  above. 

Another  day  an  Eskimo  woman  narrated  with 
evident  sincerity  how  she  had  been  away  inland 
with  a  number  of  people  who  were  hunting  rein 
deer.  Suddenly  they  heard  a  wonderful  noise  close 
at  hand,  and,  looking  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
they  saw  the  carcase  of  a  fat  reindeer  which,  she 


THE    ESKIMOS:    THEIR   RELIGION    43 

said,  had  fallen  down  from  heaven.  We  use  the 
phrase  "  it  is  raining  cats  and  dogs."  Is  there 
any  connection  between  this  and  Eskimo  ideas  ? 
Possibly  some,  though  probably  not  many,  among 
us  hope  to  find  heaven  very  thickly  populated  with 
our  domestic  pets. 

These  fat  animals,  however,  are  special  foretastes 
of  what  is  coming.  They  are  samples  of  the  heavenly 
seals  and  reindeer.  The  ordinary  sea  monsters  which 
the  Eskimos  hunt  day  by  day  have  a  lower,  an  earthly 
or  watery  origin,  as  we  have  already  seen. 

Another  interesting  feature  in  the  creed  of  the 
Eskimo  is  a  shadow  of  the  doctrine  of  propitiation 
by  means  of  sacrifice. 

On  the  north-eastern  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
parts  of  an  animal  killed  in  the  chase  are  cut  off, 
and  the  Eskimos  speak  of  this  slain  one's  akkinga 
[i.e.  its  pay  or  ransom],  and  it  is  considered  to  be 
a  means  of  appeasing  the  creature  for  the  life  taken. 
This  has  doubtless  a  reference  to  the  spirit  or  in- 
nua  of  the  animal 

Again,  in  Hudson's  Bay,  in  cases  of  sickness,  the 
angakok  questions  the  sick  man  as  to  his  past  life 
and  deeds,  and,  after  receiving  the  confession, 
he  will  order  one  of  the  sick  man's  dogs  to  be  slain, 
in  the  evident  belief  that  the  life  of  the  dog  makes  an 
atonement  for  the  man's  evil  deeds,  and  that  atone 
ment  having  been  made,  the  sick  man  will  recover. 

"  I  have  known,"  writes  Mr.  Peck    in  this  con- 


44  THE  LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

nection,  "  a  sick  man  who  was  scarce  able  to  crawl, 
and  who  had  no  angakok  at  hand,  managed  to  load 
his  gun  and  with  great  difficulty  shoot  his  dog, 
hoping  to  recover  by  merit  of  his  sacrifice,  though 
the  sequel  to  his  act  was  not  a  cure,  for  he  died 
of  the  malady  of  which  he  was  suffering." 

Again,  the  Eskimo  has  a  tradition  of  the  flood. 
According  to  Dr.  Boas,  in  his  work  on  The  Central 
Eskimos,  the  following  account  is  given  of  their 
tradition  of  the  Deluge  : — 

"  A  long  time  ago  the  ocean  suddenly  began  to 
rise  until  it  covered  the  whole  land.  When  the 
flood  had  subsided  the  ice  stranded,  and  ever  since 
has  formed  a  cap  upon  the  mountain  summits. 
Many  shellfish,  fish,  seals  and  whales  were  left 
high  and  dry,  and  their  shells  and  bones  may  be 
seen  to  this  day.  A  great  number  of  Eskimos  died 
during  this  period,  but  many  others  who,  when  the 
waters  rose,  had  taken  to  their  kayaks  were 
saved." 

There  is  also  a  remarkable  story  of  the  creation 
of  the  first  woman,  which  may  be  some  hazy  relic 
of  the  Biblical  record.  Though  worthy  of  insertion, 
it  must  be  stated  that  it  seems  to  be  a  somewhat 
local  tradition,  and  possibly  it  is  not  accepted  by  all 
Eskimos. 

"  The  man  (no  tradition  is  given  of  how  man  was 
created),  feeling  very  lonely,  went  out  one  day  when 
the  sun  was  shining,  and  when  the  earth  was  in 


THE    ESKIMOS:    THEIR    RELIGION     45 

some  measure  thawed.  Taking  some  clay,  he  made 
an  image  like  unto  himself.  He  was  not,  however, 
satisfied  with  his  workmanship,  and  blew  upon 
the  mass  of  clay  with  the  object  of  blowing  it  down. 
But  as  he  blew  upon  the  clay  image  it  suddenly 
became  endowed  with  life  and  beauty,  and  he  thus 
obtained  a  wife  and  companion." 

Enough  has  been  said,  perhaps,  to  give  the  reader 
some  general  idea,  at  any  rate,  of  the  religion  of  the 
Eskimos.  It  is  impossible  to  be  exhaustive,  for 
volumes  might  be  written  upon  this  subject.  The 
few  incidents,  stories,  and  practices  here  narrated 
tell  us  this  much,  that  there  is  in  the  northern  and 
desolate  regions  of  the  earth  a  man  of  Macedon 
raising  his  cry  to  the  great  Christian  Church,  "  Come 
over  and  help  us." 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   ESKIMOS  AT   HOME   AND  AT  WORK. 

"Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat  and  the 
body  than  raiment  ?  " 

"  Work  ...  for  the  meat  which  abide th 
unto  eternal  life  ?  " 

"  Give  ye  them  to  eat." 

IF  we  wish  to  make  friends  with  people  we  must 
know  them  in  the  home  circle  and  family  life. 
Now  we  wish  to  become  the  friends  of  the  Eskimos. 
Then  we  must  enter  their  homes  and  live  with  them. 
We  shall  have  to  go  down  low  on  our  hands  and 
knees  to  crawl  through  the  doorway,  not  much  more 
than  a  hole,  which  is  the  entrance  to  the  Eskimo's 
iglo  or  snow-house — his  winter  dwelling-place. 

Frozen  snow  is  easy  to  work,  and  therefore  very 
adaptable  for  building  purposes.  So  this  is  the 
Eskimo  substitute  for  bricks  and  mortar.  When 
a  man  wishes  to  build  his  iglo  he  describes  a  rough 
circle  and  places  his  blocks  of  snow  round  in  order. 
Then  tier  upon  tier  of  blocks  rises  in  circle  after 
circle,  each  layer  of  smaller  diameter  than  the  one 
below,  until  at  last  one  block  fills  up  the  empty 

46 


AN   ESKIMO    IGLO  OR  SNOW  HOUSE. 


ESKIMOS    AT   HOME    AND    AT   WORK    47 

space  and  the  dome  is  complete.  Interstices  be 
tween  the  blocks  are  filled  up  by  the  women  and 
children,  while  the  men  build  the  walls.  It  is 
amazing  how  quickly  a  family  will  get  under  cover. 
A  House  capable  of  accommodating  a  family  of  six 
can  be  finished  in  two  hours,  while  one  to  accom 
modate  one  or  two  hunters  when  travelling,  which 
is  needed  only  for  a  long  night's  shelter,  will  rise, 
like  a  mushroom,  in  an  hour. 

The  sleeping  place  in  such  structures  is  formed 
by  leaving  a  portion  of  the  snow-drift  out  of  which 
the  blocks  for  the  walls  were  cut.  This  original 
bank  serves  as  a  couch.  On  it  is  spread  a  mat 
made  from  a  kind  of  willow.  Two  or  three  layers 
of  thick  reindeer  skin  are  placed  on  top  of  the  mat, 
and  the  blankets,  made  of  softer  reindeer  skin,  are 
wrapped  round  the  sleeper. 
Speaking  of  snow-houses,  Mr.  Peck  says : 
"  I  may  say  that  they  are  fairly  comfortable  pro 
vided  the  weather  is  calm,  and  when  one  is  well 
provided  with  plenty  of  good  reindeer-skin,  socks, 
etc.  But  in  stormy  weather  one's  position  in  a 
snow-house  is  not  to  be  envied.  In  any  case,  it 
stands  to  reason  that,  should  the  temperature  with 
in  the  house  rise  above  freezing-point,  the  inmate 
has  then  the  comfort  of  feeling  drops  of  water  cool 
ing  his  head  and  face,  and  in  cases  of  a  pronounced 
thaw  outside,  I  have  known  the  whole  roof  to  col 
lapse.  How  delightful !  " 


48  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Such  is  the  chief  kind  of  winter  dwelling  of  the 
Eskimos  on  the  coasts  of  Hudson's  Bay,  Cumber 
land  Sound,  and  many  other  parts.  Elsewhere 
different  modes  of  building  are  met  with. 

Into  one  of  these  houses  let  us  enter  and  form 
part  of  the  family  circle.  The  head  of  the  house, 
like  every  Eskimo,  is  a  hunter.  As  the  days  are 
short,  the  hours  must  be  economized.  Long  before 
the  dim  light  makes  itself  evident  the  hunter  is  up. 
His  wife  puts  a  fresh  supply  of  blubber  into  the 
lamp  and  trims  the  wick,  and  the  sledge  is  made 
ready.  Should  the  household  larder  contain  any 
meat,  the  hunter  takes  a  morning  meal ;  but  if,  as 
is  often  the  case,  the  larder  is  of  the  Mother  Hub- 
bard  type,  then  the  poor  Eskimo  has  none. 

Fastening  his  dogs  to  his  sledge  he  then  drives 
over  the  frozen  waste  till  he  arrives  at  a  favourable 
spot  for  sealing. 

During  the  time  that  the  hunters  are  away  the 
women  employ  themselves  in  making  or  repairing 
the  clothing  or  footgear  of  their  husbands  and 
children.  When  we  remember  that  every  article 
of  wearing  apparel  is  made  of  the  skins  of  the  cap 
tured  animals,  and  that  before  they  are  fit  to  be 
sewn  they  have  to  be  prepared  at  a  great  cost  of 
time  and  labour  by  the  women,  it  is  easy  to  under 
stand  that,  as  in  civilized  England  so  in  the  land  of 
snow-houses  and  skin  clothes,  "  a  woman's  work  is 
never  done." 


ESKIMOS    AT   HOME    AND   AT   WORK    49 

The  women  have  other  duties,  however,  besides 
making  and  mending  clothes.  There  are  the  lamps 
to  be  thought  of,  and  these  make  no  small  demand 
on  their  time. 

In  many  regions  the  Eskimo  lamp  is  still  made  of 
stone  ;  the  wick  is  generally  prepared  from  moss, 
and  is  kept  at  a  proper  height  by  means  of  a  stick, 
so  that  the  lamp  will  not  smoke.  A  vast  amount 
of  practice  is  needed  before  this  object  can  be 
attained  with  any  degree  of  certainty. 

Blubber  supplies  the  oil  that  is  needed.  It  is 
prepared  by  beating  it  with  a  large  bone  with  a 
heavy  end,  and  when  beaten  almost  to  a  pulp,  it 
is  either  placed  in  the  lamp  in  this  form  or  hung 
on  a  cross-piece  of  wood  some  little  distance  above 
the  flame  of  the  lamp.  The  heat  of  the  flame  then 
melts  the  blubber  and  causes  it  to  drip  into  the 
lamp  below. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  cooking  is  con 
sidered  to  be  a  necessary  accompaniment  of  food. 
An  Eskimo  can  thoroughly  enjoy  a  good  meal  of 
raw  seal's  flesh  and  blubber,  as  we  inferred  from 
the  meaning  of  the  name  mentioned  in  the  last 
chapter.  But  nevertheless  the  food,  or  a  portion 
of  it,  is  sometimes  cooked,  and  if  there  is  meat  in 
the  house,  the  wife  often  is  engaged  in  preparing 
it  against  her  lord's  return.  Kettles,  like  the  lamp, 
made  of  stone,  are  kept  for  this  purpose. 

The  children  spend  most  of  their  time  in  play. 

4 


50  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Out  of  doors  they  make  miniature  snow-houses, 
slide  down  small  inclines  upon  sledges,  or  engage 
in  their  favourite  game  of  football.  This  last,  how 
ever,  should  more  strictly  be  called  hand-ball,  for 
the  seal  bladder,  which  takes  the  place  of  the  ball, 
is  thrown  from  hand  to  hand. 

If  the  weather  should  be  bad,  and  in  consequence 
they  should  be  confined  to  the  hut,  they  have  various 
games  corresponding  to  our  cup  and  ball,  cat's-cradle, 
and  others  which  will  keep  them  amused  for  hours. 
The  parents  of  smaller  children  make  toy  sledges, 
bows  and  arrows,  garments  (made  of  wood)  for  the 
dolls,  and  such  like  to  keep  the  little  ones  happy. 

But  amid  all  their  play,  whether  it  be  out  of 
doors  or  in,  the  return  of  their  father  from  the  hunt 
is  scented  long  before  he  reaches  the  snow-house, 
when,  if  he  should  have  proved  successful,  a  very 
lively  scene  ensues.  With  shrieks  of  delight  the 
children  yell ;  "  Netsujtpok,  netsukpok  1 "  (He  has 
caught  a  seal,  he  has  caught  a  seal !) 

The  wives  turn  out  and  help  their  husbands 
unharness  the  dogs.  The  harness  is  coiled  up  in 
side  the  house,  while  the  sledge  is  often  put  upon 
the  top.  The  spoil  also  is  hauled  inside  out  of  the 
way  of  the  dogs. 

The  seal  is  then  skinned  and  cut  up,  quite  a 
number  of  people  sometimes  congregating  in  the 
successful  hunter's  house,  and  partaking  with  very 
evident  gusto  of  pieces  of  the  gory  meat. 


ESKIMO  WOMEN   WITH   DEAD   SEAL. 


ESKIMOS   AT   HOME   AND    AT   WORK    51 

After  supper  the  men  generally  have  a  chat  about 
the  day's  hunting  and  their  successes,  and  if  they 
do  not  draw  the  long  bow  quite  as  strongly  as  the 
proverbial  fishermen  who,  at  the  riverside  inn, 
dilate  upon  their  piscatorial  successes,  they  at  least 
prove  that,  when  it  comes  to  sporting  talk,  the 
Eskimo  sportsman  is  very  near  akin  to  his  civilized 
confrere. 

Over  these  chats  the  friendly  pipe  is  smoked  with 
evident  relish,  both  women  and  men  indulging  in 
"  the  immortal  weed." 

The  Eskimos,  like  sailors,  will  endure  any  hard 
ship,  forego  almost  any  necessary  of  life,  if  only  by 
such  means  he  can  secure  his  much-loved  tobacco. 

At  these  smoking  concerts  the  people  will  sit  up 
quite  late,  especially  if  there  be  plenty  of  meat  in 
stock. 

When  the  last  lingering  visitor  has  taken  his 
departure,  a  block  of  snow  is  fitted  into  the  tiny 
door  in  the  base  of  the  house.  This  is  done  to  keep 
the  place  warm ;  a  small  hole,  however,  is  made  in 
the  roof  by  way  of  a  ventilator. 

These  preparations  for  the  night  having  been 
completed,  the  people  strip  off  all  their  garments, 
then  wrap  themselves  in  fur  blankets,  and  sleep  as 
sound  all  through  the  night  as  a  twelve-year-old 
boy  at  get-up  time. 

In  dealing  with  the  home  life  it  must  not  be  for 
gotten  that  the  Eskimo  is  distinguished  for  hospi- 


52  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

tality.  Most  travellers  agree  that  he  will  suffer 
almost  any  personal  inconvenience  rather  than  fail 
in  this  respect. 

Custom  allows  a  man  to  make  free  with  his  neigh 
bour's  house.  If  he  enter  an  iglo  and  there  hap 
pens  to  be  seal's  meat  or  blubber  at  hand,  he  will 
take  his  knife,  cut  off  a  huge  piece,  and  eat  away 
with  perfect  sang  froid,  and  this,  too,  at  times  with 
out  the  introductory  remark  of,  "  because  I  am 
hungry,  therefore  shall  I  eat." 

Such  are  our  friends  in  winter,  and  most  of  their 
year  is  winter.  In  summer  they  live  in  tents,  and 
their  outdoor  life  necessitates  variations  from  the 
above  descriptions.  Searching  for  shellfish,  netting 
salmon  and  trout,  hunting  reindeer,  are  all  familiar 
occupations  in  different  localities  which  fill  the 
day. 

Let  us  next  enter  the  outfitting  department  of 
the  Eskimos  and  look  round.  With  God's  wondrous 
harmony  of  Providence,  food  and  clothing  singu 
larly  allied  are  found  to  hand,  and  of  the  most,  nay, 
the  only,  suitable  character  for  the  climate.  The 
most  closely-woven  woollen  garments  of  the  thickest 
and  of  the  very  warmest,  choicest  quality  are  at  times 
utterly  inadequate  to  keep  out  the  piercing  winds  of 
those  awful  Arctic  wastes,  and  this  even  if  garment 
should  be  piled  upon  garment  until  the  human 
form  be  almost  mummified  in  its  wrappings. 

But  clothed  in  God's  special  provision,  the  skins 


ESKIMOS    AT    HOME    AND    AT    WORK    53 

of  reindeer,  seal,  eider  duck,  an  Eskimo  can  brave 
the  fiercest  winds  or  the  most  piercing  cold. 

Two  suits  of  clothing  are  used,  the  inside  suit 
being  made  so  that  the  fur  is  turned  inwards 
next  the  skin.  The  outer  garments  are  made 
in  the  opposite  manner,  viz.,  with  the  fur  turned 
outwards.  It  is  necessary  for  warmth  to  have  these 
two  fur  suits ;  and  not  only  so,  no  fastenings  or 
openings  are  made  in  either  the  front  or  back,  other 
wise  the  penetrating  cold  would  effect  an  entrance. 
The  coat  is  slipped  over  the  head  in  a  sack-like 
fashion.  Fur  socks  protect  the  feet,  and  over  these 
are  worn  long  boots  made  of  sealskin. 

The  only  practical  difference  between  the  dress 
of  the  women  and  that  of  the  men  consists  in  a  kind 
of  tail,  a  flap-like  appendage  to  the  coats  of  the  former, 
and  in  the  addition  of  a  large  hood,  which  is  fitted  to 
the  collar,  in  which  their  babies  are  carried.  This  is 
the  quaintest  of  infant  perambulators.  The  little 
round,  flat  face,  and  the  beady  dark  eyes  of  the  baby 
peep  upon  the  wintry  wilds  outside  from  the  snug 
depths  of  the  great  fur  hood  of  the  mother.  The 
latter  shuffles  along  with  a  peculiar  motion  of  the 
shoulders,  humming  all  the  time  one  of  those  lul 
labies  which  only  mothers  know  how  to  sing  and 
babies  to  understand.  If  these  efforts  are  not  suc 
cessful  in  pacifying  the  little  one,  a  piece  of  raw 
seal's  meat  or  blubber  takes  the  place  of  the 
teething  ring  or  the  "  lollipop"  with  us.  The  gory 


54  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

or  oily  morsel  generally  produces  a  magical  effect. 

Skins  of  the  eider  duck,  which  are  also  made  up 
into  clothing,  are  reserved  almost  exclusively  for 
the  babies. 

The  Eskimo  displays  a  great  accuracy  of  eye, 
as  was  experienced  by  Mr.  Peck.  He  was  in 
want  of  a  new  fur  suit,  and  accordingly  the 
tailor  was  called  in.  He  took  no  measurement ; 
he  simply  turned  Mr.  Peck  round  and  studied  his 
figure,  went  away,  and  in  due  time  brought  the 
clothes,  which  proved  to  be  an  admirable  fit. 

No  picture  of  the  home  life  perhaps  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  complete  without  some  few  remarks 
concerning  that  which  produces  it — marriage. 
Children  are  usually  betrothed  by  their  relatives  at 
a  very  early  age  ;  but  these  engagements  are  some 
times  broken  off  later  on.  When  the  children 
reach  maturity  the  girl  learns  the  duties  of  a  house 
wife.  As  soon  as  the  boy  is  able  to  provide  for  a 
family  and  the  girl  can  do  her  necessary  work,  the 
couple  are  allowed  to  marry.  In  cases  where  no 
betrothal  has  taken  place  in  childhood,  men  look 
out  for  wives  as  soon  as  they  arrive  at  the  age  of 
maturity.  Sometimes  the  services  of  a  mediator  or 
matchmaker  are  secured.  After  the  marriage  has 
taken  place  the  young  people  generally  begin  life 
with  the  parents  of  the  bride :  and  if  the  husband 
and  his  wife  belong  to  different  tribes  the  former 
must  join  that  of  the  latter.  It  is  not  until  after 


ESKIMO   WOMAN    AND    CHILDREN. 


ESKIMOS    AT    HOME    AND    AT    WORK  55 

the  death  of  his  parents-in-law  that  the  man  is  com 
pletely  his  own  master. 

The  list  of  things  necessary  for  starting  house 
keeping  is  an  extremely  limited  one.  The  lady 
needs  her  sewing  materials  —  a  circular  knife  for 
cutting  out  skin  garments,  a  stone  kettle,  and  a 
lamp.  The  gentleman's  outfit  consists  of  his 
dogs'  sledge  and  hunting  weapons.  He  joins  no 
building  society  ;  purchases  no  building  site  ;  knows 
no  landlord,  no  tax-gatherer,  no  rate-collector ; 
leases  and  agreements  are  farther  removed  from 
him  than  the  myths  of  the  Greeks ;  he  knows 
only  one  system  of  dwelling  upon  the  earth, 
namely,  that  of  God's  freehold,  and  he  builds  his 
snow-house  or  pitches  his  tent,  according  to  the 
season,  where  he  will ;  and  when  game  is  fairly 
abundant  he  appears  to  lead  a  very  happy  life. 

Polygamy  is  not  common  among  the  Eskimos ; 
it  is  not,  however,  regarded  as  improper.  It  is 
probably  the  difficulty  of  providing  for  more 
than  one  wife  and  family  which  keeps  the  prac 
tice  within  bounds.  Divorce  is  quite  common, 
and  wives  are  put  away  at  times  for  the  most  frivo 
lous  causes.  It  may  be  readily  understood  that  the 
sanctity  of  the  marriage  bond  cannot  be  held  in 
very  high  estimation  when  religion  itself  or  friend 
ship  can  not  only  sanction,  but  demand,  a  temporary 
exchange  of  wives. 

Widows  are  generally  cared  for  by  their  relatives. 


56  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Orphans  are  often  adopted  by  the  relatives  of  the 
deceased.  It  is  also  by  no  means  uncommon  to 
find  orphan  boys  adopted  by  those  who  have  no 
male  children  of  their  own.  The  prospect  of  the 
boys  being  able  to  keep  them  in  their  old  age  is  an 
incentive  to  this  action.  The  treatment  of  children 
is  generally  very  mild.  They  are  not  scolded, 
whipped,  or  subjected  to  any  corporal  punishment. 
Infanticide  has  been  practised,  but  probably  only 
female  children  or  children  of  widows  and  widowers 
have  been  murdered  in  this  way.  The  reason  for 
it  is  the  difficulty  of  provision  only. 

We  next  turn  to  the  outdoor  life  of  the  Eskimo, 
and  examine  it  in  some  of  its  details.  Let  us  look 
first  at  his  means  of  locomotion. 

The  sledge  is  his  carriage  ;  dogs  are  his  motor 
power. 

Speaking  of  the  West  Coast  of  Hudson's  Bay,  Dr. 
Boas  says  that  in  old  time,  when  wood  was  scarce, 
sledges  were  sometimes  made  of  walrus  hide,  cut 
lengthwise,  rolled  up  tightly  and  then  frozen.  Now 
they  are  frequently  made  of  wood  where  it  can  be 
obtained.  They  vary  in  size  according  to  the 
material  available.  The  authority  just  quoted  tells 
us  that  they  are  about  16  feet  long,  and  the  runners 
are  placed  from  18  to  22  inches  apart.  These  are 
sometimes  made  of  steel,  which  is  obtained  from 
traders  ;  sometimes  they  are  of  bone. 

In  extremely  cold  weather  these  runners  are  often 


ESKIMOS    AT    HOME    AND    AT   WORK    57 

cased  with  clay,  and  over  the  clay  water  is  poured. 
When  the  watered  clay  has  been  carefully  smoothed 
with  a  knife,  a  glass-like  surface  is  secured,  which 
makes  the  travelling  peculiarly  easy. 

The  runners  are  kept  upright  and  in  position  by 
cross-bars  of  wood,  which  are  lashed  to  them.  The 
fore-part  of  the  runner  curves  upwards  about  three 
feet  from  the  front  to  prevent  its  sticking  in  the 
hummacks  of  snow  or  ice. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  point  out  that  sledging 
often  makes  the  greatest  demand  upon  one's  powers 
of  endurance,  but  the  imperturbable  cheeriness  of 
the  Eskimo  is  always  equal  to  it.  Through  blinding 
drifts  and  blasts  of  cruel  cutting  wind  the  traveller 
has  to  press  on  to  his  goal. 

Once  a  party  of  Eskimos  started  over  the  frozen 
sea  for  Little  Whale  River  from  an  island  fifty 
miles  away.  A  terrific  gale  arose  after  their 
departure,  and  so  blinding  was  the  drift  that  they 
could  not  possibly  see  the  route  they  should  pursue. 
Knowing,  however,  the  direction  of  the  wind,  they 
steered  a  rough  course  landwards. 

The  first  night  they  built  themselves  a  rough 
shelter  of  snow,  and  made  another  start  next  morn 
ing.  The  wind  and  drift  were  again  against  them, 
but  still  they  pressed  on,  and  finally  succeeded  in 
reaching  a  point  some  two  miles  to  the  north  of 
Little  Whale  River. 

They  were  disappointed  to   find   that  they  had 


58  THE    LIFE    OF    E.    J.    PECK 

just  missed  the  actual  entrance  to  the  river. 
Two  miles  out,  of  course,  after  so  perilous  and 
difficult  [a  journey,  was  a  very  trifling  matter; 
yet,  though  very  few,  even  natives  would  have  per 
sisted  in  facing  the  drift  as  they  had  done,  their 
chagrin  at  missing  the  actual  mark  was  great,  and 
they  were  not  spared  the  mirth  of  their  chaffing 
countrymen  whom  they  found  at  the  post,  and  to 
whom  they  frankly  confessed  their  blunder. 

The  dogs  are  a  very  important  feature  in  the  life 
and  occupation  of  an  Eskimo.  They  vary  in  num 
ber,  according  to  the  wealth  of  the  owner  and  his 
ability  to  keep  them  from  starving.  Each  dog  has 
a  separate  harness.  This  is  generally  made  of  seal 
skin.  One  part  is  fitted  over  the  dog's  head :  two 
other  pieces  go  over  the  chest  and  under  the  fore 
legs,  and  are  joined  together  at  the  back  of  the  dog. 
At  the  point  of  junction  is  attached  the  peto,  which 
is  a  very  strong  line  or  trace,  fastened  to  the  sledge. 
These  traces  are  not  all  the  same  length,  but  they 
are  tied  so  that  the  leading  dog  is  well  in  advance  of 
the  one  coming  after. 

"  Dog  driving,"  says  Mr.  Peck,  "  is  certainly 
enough  to  try  the  patience  of  any  man.  The  long 
seal  lines  by  which  the  dogs  are  attached  to  the 
sledge  often  become  a  perfect  tangle,  caused  by 
the  habit  of  the  animals  of  wildly  rushing  about 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  especially  when  they 
imagine  the  long  whip,  which  the  Eskimo  driver 


ESKIMOS    AT   HOME    AND   AT   WORK    59 

uses  with  such  skill,  is  on  its  way  through  the  air 
for  their  particular  benefit.  If  the  hauling  lines  are 
not  cleared  in  time,  a  hopeless  muddle  ensues.  One 
or  more  of  the  tails  of  the  dogs  will  become  entangled 
in  the  lines,  another  will  get  his  foot  tied  up,  and  so 
on,  until  the  howling  and  yapping  becomes  some 
thing  fearful,  and  the  sledge  is  stopped,  the  dogs  are 
liberated  from  their  several  plights,  the  lines  are 
cleared  once  more,  and  all  is  fair  sailing. 

The  difficulty  a  European  experiences  in  driving 
a  sledge  and  Eskimo  team  of  dogs  is  well  described 
by  Kane  in  his  book  on  Arctic  exploration. 

"  I  have  been  practising  till  my  arms  ache.  To 
drive  such  an  equipage  a  certain  proficiency  with 
the  whip  is  indispensable ;  which,  like  all  profi 
ciency,  must  be  worked  for.  In  fact,  the  weapon 
has  an  exercise  of  its  own,  quite  peculiar,  and  as 
hard  to  learn  as  single-stick  or  broadsword. 

"  The  whip  is  six  yards  long,  and  the  handle  but 
16  inches — a  short  lever,  of  course,  to  throw  out 
such  a  length  of  seal  hide.  Learn  to  do  it,  however, 
with  a  masterly  sweep,  or  else  make  up  your  mind 
to  forego  driving  sledge ;  for  the  dogs  are  guided 
solely  by  the  lash,  and  you  must  be  able  to  hit  not 
only  one  particular  dog,  one  of  a  team  of  twelve,  but 
to  accompany  the  feat  also  with  a  resounding  crack. 
After  this  you  will  find  that  to  get  your  lash  back 
involves  another  difficulty ;  for  it  is  apt  to  entangle 
itself  among  the  dogs  and  lines,  or  to  fasten  itself 


60  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

cunningly  round  bits  of  ice,  so  as  to  drag  you  head- 
over-heels  into  the  snow. 

"  The  secret  by  which  this  complicated  set  of 
requirements  is  fulfilled  consists  in  properly  describ 
ing  an  arc  from  the  shoulder  with  a  stiff  elbow, 
giving  the  jerk  to  the  whip-handle  from  the  hand 
and  wrist  alone.  The  lash  trails  behind  you  a.s  you 
travel,  and  when  thrown  forward  is  allowed  to  ex 
tend  itself  without  an  effort  to  bring  it  back.  You 
wait  patiently  after  giving  the  projectile  impulse 
until  it  unwinds  its  slow  length,  reaches  the  end 
of  its  tether,  and  cracks  to  tell  you  that  it  is  at  its 
journey's  end.  Such  a  crack  on  the  ear  or  fore 
foot  of  an  unfortunate  dog  is  signified  by  a  howl 
quite  unmistakable  in  its  import." 

The  average  day's  journey  in  the  winter  time  is 
thirty  miles,  but  in  the  spring,  when  the  days  are 
longer,  and  when  the  ice  is  in  good  condition, 
distances  of  sixty  miles  in  a  day  have  been 
travelled. 

Eskimo  dogs  are  of  a  most  pugnacious  character, 
and  if  they  think  they  can  take  liberties  with 
the  driver  they  will  stop  and  engage  in  a  kind  of 
free  fight  among  themselves — a  sort  of  canine 
Kilkenny.  This  is  particularly  liable  to  occur  should 
there  be  any  strange  dogs  in  the  team. 

The  dog  is  also  remarkable  for  sagacity  and 
powers  of  endurance.  When  travellers  have  thought 
themselves  lost  in  blinding  snow-drifts,  they  have 


ESKIMOS    AT   HOME    AND   AT  WORK    61 

been  saved  again  and  again  simply  by  allowing  the 
dogs  to  have  their  heads.  With  unerring  scent 
they  bring  them  safely  to  some  encampment. 

And  how  cunning  they  are.  One  day,  after  he 
had  been  living  among  the  people  some  time,  Mr. 
Peck  describes  how  he  was  travelling  over  the 
frozen  waste.  One  Eskimo  companion  was  with 
him.  They  had  been  spinning  along  at  a  capital 
rate,  but  then,  he  says  :  "As  our  feet  became  chilled 
we  both  (this  was  exceedingly  unwise,  I  confess) 
got  off  the  sledge  at  the  same  time.  The  leading 
dog,  a  knowing  old  fellow,  realizing  what  the  sudden 
diminishing  of  weight  meant,  looked  back,  and  see 
ing  both  of  us  running  by  the  side  of  the  sledge, 
suddenly  set  off  at  a  flying  pace,  and  in  spite  of  all 
our  cries  to  stop  the  runaway  team  and  the  use  of 
all  our  racing  powers,  we  were  soon  left  far  behind. 

"  Our  position  was  not  to  be  envied.  Everything 
we  possessed  was  on  that  sledge  ;  we  were  far,  far 
away  from  all  human  habitations  or  settlements, 
and  the  wind  cut  like  a  knife.  Fortunately  the 
weather  was  clear,  and  we  could  see  the  track  of  the 
sledge  across  the  snow ;  so,  panting  and  blown,  we 
followed  the  fugitives,  hoping,  praying  that  the 
sledge  would  get  stuck  up  somewhere  amid  the 
hummocky  ice,  which,  to  our  joy,  as  we  pressed  on, 
we  saw  piled  up  ahead  in  the  immediate  track  of 
the  runaways.  We  knew  that  our  deserters  could 
never  draw  the  sledge  unaided  through  that  rugged 


62  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

ice  mass  that  loomed  in  the  distance,  and  sure 
enough,  presently,  the  sledge  got  jammed  under  a 
boulder. 

"The  dogs  tugged  and  howled,  but  at  last  gave  up 
the  job  in  despair,  and  when  we  finally  arrived  on 
the  scene  they  looked  up  at  us  in  the  drollest  man 
ner,  as  much  as  to  say,  '  You've  got  us,  it's  true, 
but  it  is  not  our  fault.'  " 

Then,  too,  how  rapacious  is  the  Eskimo  dog.  "  I 
have  known,"  writes  Mr.  Peck,  "  one  of  them  die 
from  the  effects  of  eating  a  dishcloth.  Another,  on  a 
certain  occasion,  actually  made  a  good  meal  of  a 
dress  belonging  to  Mrs.  Peck's  servant,  a  girl  we 
had  at  our  first  station,  Fort  George.  The  dress  had 
been  hung  out  to  dry." 

We  now  glance  at  the  hunter,  He  has  to  search 
for  his  chief  game,  the  seal,  over  the  frozen  sea. 
The  neighbourhood  of  his  prey  is  indicated  by  a 
hole  in  the  ice.  While  the  ice  is  still  thin  the  seal 
makes  holes  for  breathing,  and  he  keeps  them  open 
by  repeated  visits  during  the  winter. 

Having  discovered  a  hole  (and  each  seal  has 
several)  the  hunter  builds  a  wall  of  snow  to  shelter 
himself  from  the  piercing  wind,  and  patiently  sits 
watching,  hour  after  hour,  with  his  harpoon  ready 
for  use,  until  a  peculiar,  unmistakable  blowing 
sound  announces  the  arrival  of  the  seal. 

Silently,  stealthily  he  rises,  poises  his  harpoon 
over  the  breathing  hole — which  in  the  winter 


ESKIMOS    AT   HOME   AND    AT   WORK   63 

time  is  not  larger  than  a  crown  piece — and  drives 
his  deadly  weapon  down  through  the  hole. 

If  he  is  fortunate  enough  to  have  struck  the  seal 
(and  they  really  make  comparatively  few  misses), 
he  clears  away  the  ice  round  the  tiny  orifice  with  his 
tok  (ice  chisel)  until  the  hole  is  large  enough  to  haul 
the  seal  through  on  to  the  surface  of  the  frozen 
sea. 

If  the  hunter  possesses  a  sledge  and  has  it  with 
him,  he  loads  his  game  upon  it,  and  with  the  Eskimo 
equivalent  for  "  Now  then,  away  with  you  !  "  to 
his  dogs,  he  is  soon  tearing  homewards  with  a  ten- 
pound-weight-of-seal-meat  appetite.  If  he  has  no 
sledge  with  him,  he  secures  his  harpoon  line  to  the 
game,  and  with  the  line  over  his  shoulder  he  hauls 
home  his  catch. 

It  is  not  at  all  an  uncommon  thing  for  an  Eskimo, 
sheltered  only  by  his  wall  of  snow,  to  wait  a  whole 
day,  and  even  through  the  night,  at  a  seal-hole 
while  the  temperature  is  ranging  from  30  to  40 
degrees  below  zero. 

Cases  are  not  wanting  where,  sleep  having  over 
taken  the  hunter,  he  has  become  partially  or  wholly 
lamed  for  life  from  frost-bite  in  his  feet. 

After  all  his  watching,  should  he  not  succeed  in 
capturing  his  game  he  will  even  then  return  to  his 
snow-house,  bright,  cheerful,  philosophical,  making 
some  common,  free-and-easy  remark  in  reference 
to  his  non-success,  and  then  proceed  to  repair  or 


64  THE   LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

arrange  his  hunting-gear,  or  prepare  his  dog-harness 
for  another  journey. 

In  some  localities,  on  account  of  the  strength  of  the 
sea  current  and  the  winds,  the  ice  floe  does  not  ex 
tend  far  from  the  land,  and  as  the  seals  prefer  to 
blow  in  open  water,  the  Eskimos  repair  to  the  edge 
of  the  floe  and  shoot  the  seals  that  may  happen  to 
come  within  range. 

Besides  hunting  seals,  the  Eskimo  lays  himself 
out  for  the  capture  of  reindeer,  Polar  bears,  wolves, 
and  in  fact  anything  that  he  can  by  any  means 
entrap.  Bravery  and  daring  characterize  him  in 
all  his  pursuits.  If  he  does  not  possess  a  gun,  he 
will  lash  a  knife  to  the  end  of  a  stout  staff  and  attack 
a  bear  with  this  rude  weapon  of  offence.  It  almost 
reminds  us  of  the  stripling  going  to  fight  the  giant 
with  the  sling  and  pebble  from  the  brook. 

A  man  named  Augeak,  a  native  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
was  walking  along  the  coast  one  day  in  the  vicinity 
of  Little  Whale  River.  He  carried  with  him  a  single- 
barrelled  gun,  which  fortunately  happened  to  be 
loaded.  Quite  suddenly  he  noticed  a  large  pack  of 
wolves  racing  down  the  rock-bound  coast  direct  for 
him. 

Perfectly  cool  he  watched  them,  and  saw  that  the 
leader  of  the  pack  was  a  very  old  beast,  with  a  ragged 
and  far  from  beautiful  coat,  and  therefore  anything 
but  suitable  game  for  purposes  of  the  fur  trade.  Coolly 
noting  all  this,  the  Eskimo  deliberately  singled  out 


ESKIMOS    AT    HOME    AND    AT   WORK    65 

another  wolf  with  a  beautiful  coat,  and  fired.  The 
shot  took  effect,  and  the  beast  fell  dead,  when  fortu 
nately  for  Nimrod  the  whole  pack  of  wolves,  as  though 
seized  with  panic,  fled  by  the  way  they  had  come. 

Whatever  our  ideas  of  the  ferocity  of  the  wolf  and 
Polar  bear  may  be,  the  Eskimo  evidently  shares 
none  of  our  fear  or  dread,  as  is  instanced  by  the  way 
he  will  sometimes  lure  wolves,  which  he  sees  in  the 
distance,  towards  him,  that  he  may  have  a  shot  at 
them.  Lying  down  upon  his  back  on  the  ice  he  will 
kick  and  move  his  legs  about  in  a  peculiar  manner, 
imitating  certain  movements  of  the  reindeer's  antlers 
when  the  deer  is  browsing.  The  wolves,  beguiled  by 
the  deception,  come  warily  down,  the  hunter  gets 
his  shot,  bags  his  game,  and  the  scared  and  discom 
fited  survivors  of  the  pack  make  off  to  ruminate 
upon  the  extraordinary  power  possessed  by  some 
reindeer. 

In  summer  the  kayak  is  a  necessary  part  of  an 
Eskimo's  equipment  both  for  travel  and  the  hunt. 
It  is  a  roomy  canoe,  which  is  made  by  stretching  seal 
skin  over  a  framework.  Before  the  advent  of  the 
white  man,  this  framework  used  to  be  made  of 
whalebone.  But  as  the  natives  learned  the  value 
of  the  bone  in  trade,  a  very  inferior  substitute  took 
its  place,  and  the  skeleton  was  made  of  wood.  The 
diminishing  yearly  catch  of  whales  also  helped  to 
bring  about  this  result.  Long  and  perilous  journeys 
are  often  undertaken  in  these  frail  craft. 


66  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Dr.  Nansen,  in  his  book  on  Eskimo  Life,  gives  a 
most  spirited  account  of  what  can  be  done  and  is 
done  every  day  in  the  use  of  the  kayak  in  Green 
land  waters.  The  hunter  attacks  successfully  from 
it  the  monsters  and  treasures  of  the  deep.  Some 
times  he  will  come  home  in  triumph  towing  as  many 
as  four  seals  behind  him — a  good  bag  for  a  day's 
sport.  Sometimes  he  will  have  had  a  battle  with  a 
walrus,  or  even  a  grampus.  It  needs  a  very  cool 
head  and  no  little  daring  to  hold  the  weapon  ready 
to  seize  the  favourable  moment  for  hurling  it 
from  the  hand  while  a  i6-foot  ferocious  monster, 
with  formidable  tusks,  is  coming  upon  him  apace.  All 
the  time,  too,  there  is  the  knowledge  that  others 
may  rise  up  out  of  the  deep  at  any  moment*  and 
the  huntsman  in  his  frail  canoe  may  be  surrounded 
by  enemies  on  all  sides.  His  method  of  catching 
seals  is  ingenious  and  exciting.  A  long  line  is 
attached  to  his  harpoon.  To  the  end  of  this  line, 
remote  from  the  harpoon,  is  secured  an  inflated 
bladder  or  sealskin.  With  this  apparatus  he  paddles 
cautiously  over  the  water  towards  the  game  he  has 
sighted.  With  a  well-directed  aim  he  presently 
hurls  his  harpoon  at  the  seal.  If  struck  the  animal 
dives,  but  the  inflated  sealskin  soon  brings  the 
wounded,  exhausted  thing  to  the  surface,  when  it 
is  finally  despatched  with  a  kind  of  lance. 

Cheap  firearms  have  found  their  way  among  the 
natives  in  many  localities,  and  then  they  will 


ESKIMOS    AT   HOME    AND   AT   WORK    67 

often  hunt   their  seals  with  shot  instead  of  har 
poon. 

The  Eskimo  can  brave  any  sea  and  any  weather 
in  his  kayak.  Should  he  capsize  he  can  right  him 
self  again  with  a  stroke  or  so  of  his  paddle,  or  even 
without  his  paddle,  with  his  open  hand,  and  some 
times  even  with  his  closed  fist.  Indeed,  his  dex 
terity  is  so  great  and  his  confidence  so  complete, 
that  not  infrequently,  when  he  sees  a  heavy  sea 
coming,  he  will  deliberately  capsize  so  that  he  may 
receive  the  force  of  the  breaking  water  on  the  bottom 
of  his  vessel,  and  then  right  himself  when  the  crisis 
is  past. 


CHAPTER  IV 

HUDSON'S  BAY 

"  I  was  in  prison  and  ye  came  unto  Me." 

ABOUT  half  a  century  has  elapsed  since 
a  Church  Missionary  Society's  mission 
ary  first  had  the  opportunity  of  presenting  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  to  the  Eskimos.  On  April  29, 
1853,  a  party  of  them  visited  Fort  George,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  Hudson's  Bay,  where  the  Rev.  E.  A. 
Watkins  had  lately  arrived.  That  post,  however, 
remote  and  solitary  as  it  was,  was  too  far  south  to 
be  much  frequented  by  them ;  and  subsequently 
Mr.  (afterwards  Bishop)  Horden  more  than  once 
travelled  northwards  to  Little  Whale  River,  the 
furthest  point  to  which  the  trading  agents  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  advanced,  and  was 
privileged  to  admit  three  or  four  into  the  Church. 
Three  native  teachers  in  succession  were  sent  by 
him  to  work  among  them ;  but  all  three  died,  and 
for  several  years  nothing  could  be  done. 

Here*  then,  we  must  return  to  Mr.  Peck,  whom  we 
left  in  the  first  chapter  responding  to  the  call, 
"  Who  will  go  for  us  ?  "  The  Eskimos  had  been 
waiting  long,  but  at  last  a  missionary  was  to  be  sent 


HUDSON'S    BAY  69 

to  them.  The  new  messenger  left  the  Thames  in 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  ship  Prince  of  Wales, 
on  July  n,  1876,  with  the  object  of  making  the 
Evangelisation  of  the  Eskimos  his  life's  work. 

Speaking  of  the  voyage,  Mr.  Peck  gives  some 
interesting  glimpses.  The  crew  was  of  a  decidedly 
cosmopolitan  character,  though  nearly  all  could 
understand  the  English  tongue. 

"  Every  one  in  the  ship  treated  me  with  the 
greatest  kindness,  and  I  was  permitted  to  hold 
meetings  in  the  forecastle  almost  every  evening. 
Some  of  the  crew,  as  a  result  of  these  meetings,  I 
believe,  experienced  spiritual  blessings,  and  the 
voyage,  in  spite  of  the  special  dangers  of  naviga 
tion  encountered  that  year,  was  one  of  spiritual 
profit  and  blessing  to  others  beside  myself. 

"  Before  leaving  England  I  was  able  to  obtain 
from  the  Moravian  Brethrens'  office  in  London  a 
copy  of  the  New  Testament  which  had  been  trans 
lated  by  the  Brethren  labouring  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador.  This,  to  me,  great  treasure  I  studied 
when  on  the  trackless  deep,  and  by  carefully  com 
paring  it  with  our  English  translation  I  was  able — 
especially  where  there  was  a  repetition  of  the  same 
words,  as  in  St.  John,  chap,  i — finally  to  hit  upon 
the  meanings. 

"  The  words  which  I  felt  I  had  thus  acquired  I 
marked,  and  though  on  arriving  at  my  station  at 
Little  Whale  River  I  found  some  differences  of  a 


70  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

dialectical  nature,  still  I  never  once  regretted  the 
time  spent  in  that  study  of  the  Moravian  trans 
lation. 

"  To  return  to  that  voyage.  It  was  on  entering 
Hudson's  Straits  that  I  saw  icebergs  for  the  first 
time,  mountains  of  glacier  ice  that  floated  down, 
majestic  to  the  eye,  but  dangerous  for  the  ship, 
upon  the  Arctic  current  into  the  Gulf  Stream  that 
flows  out  by  Belle  Isle.  Passing  through  the  ice 
berg  region  we  came  upon  some  fields  of  drift  ice. 
Drift  ice  is  ice  which  has  become  loosened,  by  the 
coming  of  the  brief  Arctic  summer,  from  the  frozen 
coast  line,  and  has  floated  out  from  the  more 
northern  bays  and  inlets.  Driven  by  the  winds 
and  currents,  until  miles  upon  miles  of  sea  are 
covered  with  almost  impassable  areas  of  the  frozen 
blocks,  the  drift  ice  becomes  pack-ice,  and  forms 
a  fearful  danger  to  the  vessel  caught  in  its  icy 
talons.  For  every  ship  is  not  a  '  Fram,'  fitted 
to  crush  her  way  through  this  hideous  Arctic 
barrier. 

"  But  God  was  with  us  on  that  voyage,  and 
though  we  had  difficulties,  we  came  safely  through 
these  seas  of  ice. 

"  Our  course  was  now  shaped  southerly,  and  we 
sailed  right  down  Hudson's  Bay.  Navigation  be 
came  very  critical  here,  and  oftentimes  dangerous, 
on  account  of  the  number  of  shallows  and  shoals. 
The  lead  had  to  be  kept  going  for  soundings  day 


HUDSON'S    BAY  71 

and  night,  but  finally,  on  September  7,  1876,  we 
reached  Moose  Factory." 

The  new  missionary  was  warmly  received  by 
the  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Horden,  but  as  winter  would 
soon  be  coming  on,  and  he  had  yet  in  front  of  him 
the  most  trying  and  difficult,  not  to  say  dangerous, 
part  of  his  journey,  he  felt  it  impossible  to  remain 
long  under  their  hospitable  roof.  After  one 
week  of  refreshment,  therefore,  he  set  his  face 
stedfastly  to  reach  his  Ultima  Thule,  Little 
Whale  River. 

This  last  portion  of  the  journey  had  to  be  accom 
plished  in  a  small  sailing  boat.  It  made  what  way 
it  could  during  the  day,  but  at  night  it  was  run 
ashore  when  the  travellers  pitched  their  tent  on 
land  until  the  morning  light  enabled  them  to  re 
sume  their  journey. 

The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  Peck,  an  Indian  crew 
and  a  Christian  Eskimo,  a  native  of  Labrador, 
Adam  Lucy  by  name,  as  interpreter. 

As  in  imagination  we  follow  in  the  wake  of  the 
travellers,  we  realize  that  the  modern  apostle  can 
apply  to  himself  the  words  of  St.  Paul.  For  he 
too  is  "in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  waters  .  . . 
in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often, 
in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and 
nakedness." 

This  coasting  voyage  was  not  to  be  accomplished 
without  serious  mishap.  On  October  9  they  had 


72  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

rounded  Cape  Jones,  and  were  drawing  near  to  a 
smaller  cape  when  the  wind  shifted.  On  this 
account  they  could  not  make  much  progress,  and 
as  it  was  getting  late  they  determined  to  make 
for  the  shore,  which  was  reached  by  pulling.  By 
the  time  they  landed  it  was  dark.  Mr.  Peck  there 
fore  had  to  leave  all  arrangements  to  the  Indians, 
who  knew  the  coast,  and  would,  he  thought,  take  the 
boat  to  a  place  of  safety.  She  was  at  last  anchored 
in  what  seemed  to  be  a  sheltered  bay  or  creek.  The 
party  then  went  to  their  tent  in  the  woods,  taking 
a  few  necessaries  with  them  from  the  boat. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  a  tent  in  this  part 
of  the  world  is  similar  to  the  beautiful  and  pictur 
esque  canvas  structure  we  see  at  home.  The  tra 
vellers  light  upon  some  old  poles  that  have  been 
used  by  previous  parties  of  Indians.  They  then 
proceed  to  clear  away  the  snow,  or  to  beat  it  down 
with  their  feet.  The  tent  poles  are  set  up,  and  a 
rough  shelter  formed  with  deer  skins,  canvas  bags, 
and  sundry  other  articles  all  kept  in  place  by  ropes. 
A  small  hole  is  left  at  the  top  for  a  chimney,  while 
at  the  southern  and  lower  part  is  a  space  for  a  door. 
The  door  itself  is  another  old  bag,  which  can  be 
lifted  so  that  the  men  of  the  party  can  crawl  in  or 
out  at  pleasure.  In  the  centre  of  the  tent  is  placed 
a  circle  of  stones  for  the  fire-place. 

In  such  a  place  as  this  Mr.  Peck  and  his  party 
retired  weary  and  cold.  Realizing  that  they  had 


HUDSON'S    BAY  73 

no  continuing  city,  but  that  they  were  pilgrims 
journeying  to  the  mansions  prepared  for  them,  the 
evening  service  of  prayer  must  have  come  home  to 
them  with  special  comfort,  and  they  laid  themselves 
down  in  peace  and  slept. 

But  in  the  night  sounds  were  heard  of  a  sighing 
and  moaning  wind  rising.  But  they  were  not 
sufficient  to  warrant  the  rousing  of  that  tired  band  * 
but  only  just  enough  to  cause  the  sleep  of  the  sailor 
missionary  to  be  broken  by  fitful  dreams  and  slight 
misgivings.  He  woke  up  early,  and  with  the  morn 
ing  light  went  down  to  the  place  of  anchorage.  Alas ! 
a  strange  sight  met  his  eye,  for  strewed  along  the 
rocks  were  portions  of  his  goods ;  the  boat  was  also 
driven  up  high  and  dry  on  the  beach.  He  saw  the 
cause  of  the  disaster.  The  place,  in  which  the  In 
dians  had  anchored  the  boat,  was  exposed  to  the 
northward  and  westward ;  the  wind  sprang  up 
from  this  quarter  during  the  night,  which  caused 
a  heavy  sea ;  the  boat  grounded  at  low  water,  and 
then  the  sea  had  made  a  clean  breach  over  her, 
sweeping  the  things  out  of  her  or  else  breaking 
them  in  her.  Sad  to  say,  the  boat  was  much  in 
jured,  her  keel  being  driven  out  of  its  place,  several 
of  the  planks  being  also  started.  Mr.  Peck  called 
his  Indians  and  sent  them  to  collect  what  they 
could.  The  contents  of  some  boxes  were  considera 
bly  damaged,  although  most  of  his  clothes  were 
saved  ;  this  was  a  great  mercy. 


74  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

The  next  consideration  was  to  repair  the  boat. 
Knowing  that  there  was  resin  to  be  had  from  the 
small  shrubs  which  grew  here,  the  missionary  sent 
the  Indians  to  gather  some ;  they  know  how  to 
gather  and  prepare  it,  as  they  use  much  for  their 
canoes,  and  it  does  not  make  a  bad  substitute  for 
pitch.  Having  got  some  nails  by  breaking  up  one 
of  the  boxes,  and  having  a  little  spare  canvas, 
he  purposed  mending  the  boat  with  these  ma 
terials. 

It  was  a  trial  of  faith,  and  many  a  man  of  less 
persevering  energy  and  trust  in  God  might  have 
given  way  under  it.  But  knowing  that  the  life  of 
every  one  of  the  party  might  depend  upon  that 
boat,  and  that  by  obstacles  to  be  overcome  God 
intends  the  character  of  his  servants  to  be  devel 
oped,  Mr.  Peck,  nothing  daunted,  set  himself  to 
accomplish  what  may  seem  to  us  a  hopeless  task. 
The  first  day  was  spent  in  preparing  the  materials 
necessary,  and  it  closed  as  before  with  prayer  that 
faith  might  be  deepened  and  patience  given,  and  in 
confidence  that  God,  who  was  the  keeper  of  Israel, 
would  supply  all  their  needs  out  of  His  riches  in 
Christ  Jesus. 

On  the  next  day,  October  n,  the  actual  repairs 
were  taken  in  hand.  A  fire  was  lighted  and  the 
resin  melted.  The  boat  was  turned  bottom  up 
wards,  and  the  damaged  parts  scraped.  A  coat  of 
resin  was  put  on,  and  canvas  was  placed  on  top  of 


HUDSON'S    BAY  75 

this  and  nailed  to  the  boat.  Again  another  coat  of 
resin  was  laid  over  the  whole,  and  it  seemed  to  the 
sailor  eye  of  the  missionary  to  be  a  very  fair  bit  of 
work.  The  next  day  they  could  not  put  to  sea  as 
the  wind  was  contrary,  and  this  caused  a  little 
anxiety,  for  provisions  were  running  short.  The 
flour  had  been  most  of  it  destroyed  when  the  boat 
was  swamped.  Mr.  Peck  and  Adam  had  saved 
only  a  very  small  quantity.  Biscuits,  though  they 
had  been  soaked  with  sea  water,  had  been  saved. 
The  flour  was  economised  by  being  mixed  with 
broken  biscuits  and  made  into  cakes.  The  result 
was  eatable,  though  not  wholly  palatable.  In 
the  afternoon  of  October  13,  the  wind  changed  to 
light  and  fair.  So  the  boat  was  launched,  and  all 
made  ready  for  the  start.  But  to  the  grief  and 
dismay  of  the  party  she  leaked  considerably,  and 
was  unseaworthy.  So  once  more  it  was  a  case  of 
unloading  and  going  through  a  second  course  of 
repairs.  Finally,  on  October  14,  they  really  got 
away.  There  was  heavy  weather  to  face,  especially 
for  such  a  cranky,  patched-up  craft  as  this.  But 
trust  in  God  was  not  misplaced ;  the  winds  and  the 
sea  were  braved,  and  at  last  they  were  brought  to 
Little  Whale  River  in  safety. 

This,  as  has  been  mentioned,  was  the  extreme 
northern  station  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
Consequently  it  was  at  that  time  the  best  base 
for  operations  upon  the  Eskimos.  For  they  came 


76  THE   LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

in  considerable  numbers  to  this  place  for  purposes 
of  trade,  exchange  and  barter. 

The  officials  of  the  company  were  most  kind  in 
their  welcome  to  the  newly  arrived  missionary. 
They  hospitably  received  him  into  their  own  houses 
until  his  hut  could  be  built.  This,  too,  was 
built  for  him  by  the  company.  Trade,  when  it  is 
thus  the  handmaid  of  Christ,  is  an  unmitigated 
blessing.  It  is  a  pleasing  duty  to  give  a  tribute  of 
praise  to  men  who  bring  the  Gospel  into  the  busi 
ness  life  as  in  this  case.  If  all  the  boundless  trade 
of  England  went  hand  in  hand  with  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  world,  the  mountains  would  soon  be 
made  low  and  the  valleys,'exalted,  and  the  highway 
for  the  Empire  of  Christ  prepared. 

The  logs  of  which  Mr.  Peck's  hut  was  built  had 
been  brought  from  an  immense  distance.  They 
were  placed  in  a  framework  of  other  logs ;  the 
spaces  between  them  were  packed  with  oakum. 
The  whole  of  the  hut  was  encased  in  weather  board 
ing.  Inside,  the  place  was  warmed  and  cheered 
with  a  little  stove,  and  as  the  hut  had  to  be 
kitchen  and  drawing-room  in  one,  all  the  cooking 
must  needs  be  done  at  that  stove. 

"  Mine  was  a  real  bachelor's  life,"  writes  Mr. 
Peck,  referring  to  this  period,  "  and  I  had  to  learn 
to  do  all  my  own  cooking,  presently  even  mastering 
the  mysteries  of  bread-making,  though  it  is  right 
to  confess  (and  ladies  will  appreciate  the  confession) 


HUDSON'S    BAY  77 

that  the  first  two  or  three  batches  were  like  stones." 
A  few  articles  of  food,  such  as  sugar,  oatmeal, 
preserved  meat,  etc.,  could  be  obtained  from  the 
company's  store  at  Moose,  but  nothing  on  the  spot. 
Preserved  milk  could  also  be  got,  so  that  some 
times  he  indulged  in  a  rice  pudding.  The  most 
venturesome  and  highest  flight  of  ambition  was 
a  plum  pudding. 

The  first  great  work  of  every  missionary  is  to 
acquire  the  language  of  the  people  as  well  as  gain 
their  confidence.  With  regard  to  the  latter,  Mr. 
Peck  at  once  reaped  spme  fruit  from  the  seed  sown 
in  former  years  by  the  Rev.  E.  Watkins  and  Bishop 
Horden.  For  owing  to  the  visits  that  had  been 
paid  to  the  Eskimos  by  them,  he  found  the  people 
most  friendly  and  willing  to  receive  him.  One 
old  man  whom  Bishop  Horden  had  had  the  pleasure 
of  baptizing,  John  Molucto  by  name,  became  a  tower 
of  strength  both  to  the  missionary  and  the  mission. 
He  would  gather  the  people  together  in  his  iglo  to 
be  instructed  by  the  missionary.  As  to  the  lan 
guage,  we  have  already  seen  Mr.  Peck  studying  his 
Moravian  Testament  during  the  voyage.  He  used 
it  with  such  effect,  both  on  the  journey  from  Eng 
land  to  Moose  Factory  and  thence  in  the  sailing 
boat  to  Little  Whale  River,  that  he  was  able  to  set 
to  work  among  the  people  without  delay.  Re 
joicing  in  this,  he  says,  "  How  soon  God  finds  in 
struments  !  I  little  thought  this  Testament  would 


78  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

be  of  such  service  as  I  studied  its  pages  on  the 
trackless  deep  or  even  when  Adam  assisted  me  to 
read  it." 

The  Testament,  as  has  been  stated  already,  was 
written  in  the  Labrador  dialect,  and  Adam,  the 
interpreter,  was  also  a  native  of  Labrador.  Conse 
quently  there  were  grave  doubts  as  to  how  far  it 
would  be  intelligible  among  the  Eskimos  of  Hud 
son's  Bay.  But  it  was  found  that  the  chief  differ 
ence  lay  in  the  pronunciation  of  certain  letters 
rather  than  in  words  or  idioms.  And  thus  one 
difficulty  which  might  have  been  a  mountain  was 
removed  by  the  faith  which  caused  Christ's  servant 
to  study  the  Testament  though  written  for  the 
Labrador  Eskimos.  But  a  great  deal  is  necessary 
for  the  missionary  beyond  reading.  An  intimate 
knowledge  of  language  is  everything.  It  is  pro 
bable  that  a  man  can  never  be  regarded  as  pro 
ficient  in  a  language  until  he  is  conscious  of  not 
translating  his  thoughts  from  his  native  tongue 
into  the  foreign  one — or,  in  other  words,  until  he 
thinks  in  the  language  of  the  people  among  whom 
he  is  living.  For  this  result  to  be  obtained  daily 
practice  in  speaking,  side  by  side  with  reading,  is 
indispensable. 

This,  by  the  arrangement  of  his  domestic  estab 
lishment,  Mr.  Peck  secured.  For  after  a  time  he 
was  so  much  oppressed  by  the  utter  loneliness  of 
his  life  at  which  we  have  glanced,  that  he  invited 


HUDSON'S    BAY  79 

a  little  Eskimo  boy  about  ten  years  old  to  come  and 
live  with  him.  This  step,  in  his  own  words,  proved 
an  "  incalculable  blessing "  to  himself  in  the  ac 
quisition  of  the  language,  and  the  sequel  shows 
that  it  was  no  less  fraught  with  blessing  to  the  boy. 
It  is  not  difficult  in  imagination  to  paint  a  pic 
ture  of  some  scenes  that  must  have  taken  place  in 
that  lonely  hut.  We  see  the  wonder  of  the  boy 
overcoming  his  shyness  as  he  gazes  upon  each 
object  of  furniture  or  ornament  new  and  strange  to 
his  native  eyes.  We  see  the  missionary  and  the 
boy  beginning  to  school  each  other  by  the  only 
means  in  their  power.  Mr.  Peck  points  to  some 
article  familiar  to  the  lad  and  speaks  its  English 
name  ;  the  boy,  with  a  nod  of  his  head  and  a  smile 
upon  his  broad  Mongolian  face,  repeats  the  English 
after  him,  and  then  in  turn  tells  the  Eskimo  word 
for  the  same  thing.  We  seem  to  hear  the  merry 
peal  of  laughter  that  breaks  forth  as  the  mutual 
teacher  and  scholar  discover  that  they  have  been 
playing  at  cross  questions  and  crooked  answers — 
laughter  bringing  a  ray  of  sunshine  into  the  dark, 
lone,  icy  dwelling.  But  best  of  all  we  seem  to  see 
a  holier  light  breaking  in  upon  the  dark,  hopeless 
soul  of  the  lad  as  he  hears,  and  at  last  is  able  to 
understand,  that  he  is  the  heir  to  a  great  inheritance, 
that  there  is  an  abiding  city  in  which  is  prepared 
a  mansion  for  him  where  there  is  no  need  of  the  sun, 
neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine  in  it ;  for  the  glory  of 


8o  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

God  did  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof. 

The  name  of  this  Eskimo  lad  was  Anoat,  which 
means  clothing.  This  seems  appropriate  in  the 
light  of  his  subsequent  history.  For  the  result  of 
this  life  in  close  association  with  the  Servant  of 
Christ  was  that  after  many  years  in  1900  he  put  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  was  clothed  with  Him. 
The  Rev.  W.  G.  Walton  speaks,  in  a  recent  report, 
of  his  power  and  influence.  Though  his  name  is 
Anoat,  for  some  inscrutable  reason  he  was  known 
among  the  traders  as  Nero.  Happily  there  is  no 
likeness  in  character  to  justify  this. 

The  Eskimo  language  is  by  no  means  easy  of 
acquisition.  The  chief  peculiarity  in  it  is  its 
agglutinativeness,  and  this  also  causes  the  great  diffi 
culty  which  is  not  so  much  the  learning  to  express 
one's  own  thoughts  as  understanding  what  others 
are  saying.  All  manner  of  parts  of  speech  may 
become  joined  to  the  verbal  root,  and  then  this 
compound  may  be  conjugated  in  all  moods  and 
tenses  like  a  simple  verb.  So  great  is  the  length 
to  which  words  may  grow  under  this  treatment, 
that  Mr.  Peck  has  often  exhibited  to  English 
audiences  a  canvas  two  and  a  half  yards  long  which 
contains  one  word  only — a  good  object  lesson  of 
some  of  the  linguistic  trials  that  missionaries  have 
to  face. 

Here  we  may  anticipate  a  little,  while  speaking 
of  the  language,  and  say  that  whatever  difficulties 


HUDSON'S    BAY  81 

had  to  be  faced,  the  patient  industry  of  the  mission 
ary  overcame  them  all.  About  a  month  after  his 
arrival,  November  6,  1876,  he  wrote :  "  My  plan  is 
to  write  down  over  night  some  simple  words  and 
sentences.  I  then  get  the  corresponding  Eskimo 
words  from  Adam  Lucy  or  Molucto  ;  the  Indian 
words  are  gathered  from  one  of  the  Company's 
men,  David  Loutett.  I  find  all  very  willing  to 
help  me,  for  which  I  am  indeed  thankful.  My 
daily  collection  averages  from  eighty  to  a  hundred 
words.  These  are  learned  the  following  day  and 
brought  into  actual  use  as  soon  as  possible,  thus 
impressing  the  same  on  my  memory,  as  well  as 
making  me  familiar  with  the  peculiar  sound.  I  have 
now  got  some  thousands  of  words,  mostly  Eskimo, 
which  I  gathered  by  study  of  the  Testament  and 
from  my  different  friends."  At  first  it  was  mere 
gathering,  massing  little  by  little  a  great  quantity 
of  material.  Then  came  both  conscious  and  un 
conscious  sorting  of  the  heap,  nouns  separated 
from  adjectives,  verbs  from  adverbs ;  gender  from 
gender,  tense  from  tense ;  until  at  last,  after  seven 
years  of  six  hard,  studious  hours  every  day,  not 
only  is  he  master  of  the  situation,  but  is  able  to 
produce  a  grammar  of  200  pages,  thus  making 
the  rough  smooth  and  the  crooked  straight  for 
those  who  come  after  and  enter  into  his  labours. 

But  the  missionary   cannot  rest   satisfied  with 
merely  mastering  for  preaching  purposes  and  con- 

6 


82  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

versation  the  language  of  the  people  among  whom 
he  lives.  He  must  always  remain  sensible  of  de 
ficiency  until  he  has  placed  the  Bible  in  their  hands 
in  such  a  form  that  they  can  read  it  for  themselves. 
With  this  object  in  view,  as  soon  as  the  first  winter 
was  over  Mr.  Peck  determined  on  transcribing 
portions  of  the  Moravian  Eskimo  Testament  into 
what  is  known  as  the  Syllabic  character. 

This  system  was  the  invention  of  the  Rev.  James 
Evans,  a  minister  of  the  Canadian  Methodist  Church 
and  a  missionary  to  the  Indians  at  Norway  House. 
Without  such  a  method  as  this  it  is  difficult  to  con 
ceive  how  the  roving  tribes  of  Eskimos  could  ever 
have  learned  to  read.  By  this  means,  however,  an 
ordinarily  intelligent  native  can  be  taught  to  read 
in  eight  or  nine  weeks.  This  would  be  quite  im 
possible  with  the  Roman  characters,  especially  con 
sidering  that  many  of  the  people  come  into  the 
trading  ports  for  a  few  days  only  at  a  time.  In  such 
high  esteem  is  this  system  held,  and  so  great  a  debt 
of  gratitude  is  due  to  Mr.  Evans  for  his  work,  that 
a  few  words  in  connection  with  its  history  will  not 
be  out  of  place.  The  Rev.  Egerton  R.  Young,  in 
his  book,  By  Canoe  and  Dog  Train,  gives  a  full 
account.  He  says  :  "  The  great  work  of  Mr.  Evans' 
life,  and  that  with  which  his  name  will  ever  be 
associated,  was  undoubtedly  the  invention  and 
perfecting  of  what  is  now  so  widely  known  as  the 
Cree-syllabic  characters. 


HUDSON'S  BAY  83 

"  What  first  led  him  to  think  of  this  invention 
was  the  difficulty  he  and  others  had  in  teaching 
the  Indians  to  read  in  the  ordinary  way.  They 
are  hunters,  and  so  are  very  much  on  the  move, 
like  the  animals  they  seek.  To-day  their  tents  are 
pitched  where  there  is  good  fishing,  and  perhaps 
in  two  weeks  they  are  far  away  in  the  deep  forests 
where  roam  the  reindeer,  or  on  the  banks  of  streams 
where  the  beavers  build  their  wonderful  dams  and 
curious  homes.  The  constant  thought  in  the 
master  missionary's  mind  was,  '  Can  I  possibly 
devise  a  plan  by  which  these  wandering  people  can 
learn  to  read  more  easily  ?  ' 

"  The  principle  of  the  characters  which  he  adopted 
is  phonetic.  There  are  no  silent  letters.  Each 
character  represents  a  syllable ;  hence  no  spelling 
is  required.  As  soon  as  the  alphabet  is  mastered 
and  a  few  additional  secondary  signs,  some  of  which 
represent  consonants  and  some  aspirates,  and 
some  partially  change  the  sound  of  the  main  charac 
ter,  the  Indian  scholar,  be  he  man  or  woman  of 
eighty  or  a  child  of  six  years,  can  commence  at  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis,  and  read  on — slowly,  of 
course,  at  first,  but  in  a  few  days  with  surprising 
ease  and  accuracy. 

"  Many  were  Mr.  Evans'  difficulties  in  perfecting 
this  invention  and  putting  it  into  practical  use, 
even  after  he  had  got  the  scheme  clear  and  distinct 
in  his  own  mind. 


84  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.   PECK 

"  He  was  hundreds  of  miles  away  from  civilization  ; 
very  little  indeed  had  he  with  which  to  work.  Yet, 
with  him,  there  was  no  such  word  as  failure. 
Obtaining,  as  a  great  favour,  the  thin  sheets  of  lead 
that  were  around  the  tea-chests  of  the  fur-traders, 
he  melted  these  down  into  little  bars,  and  from 
them  cut  out  his  first  types.  His  ink  was  made  out 
of  the  soot  of  the  chimneys,  and  his  first  paper  was 
birch  bark. 

"After  a  great  deal  of  effort  and  the  exercise 
of  inuch  ingenuity,  he  made  a  press,  and  then 
the  work  began. 

"  Great  indeed  was  the  amazement  and  delight 
of  the  Indians.  The  fact  that  the  bark  'could 
talk,'  was  to  them  most  wonderful.  Portions 
of  the  Gospels  were  first  printed,  and  then  some 
of  the  beautiful  hymns. 

"  The  story  of  this  invention  reached  the  Wes- 
leyan  Home  Society.  Generous  help  was  afforded. 
A  good  supply  of  these  types  was  cast  in  London, 
and,  with  a  good  press  and  all  the  essential  requi 
sites,  including  a  large  quantity  of  paper,  was  sent 
out  to  that  mission,  and  for  years  it  was  the  great 
centre  from  which  considerable  portions  of  the  Word 
of  God  were  scattered  among  the  wandering  tribes, 
conferring  unnumbered  blessings  upon  them." 

In  later  years,  the  noble  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  has  taken  charge  of  the  work  ;  and 
now,  thanks  to  their  generosity,  the  Indians  have 


HUDSON'S  BAY  85 

the  blessed  Word  scattered  among  them,  and  thou 
sands  can  read  its  glorious  truths. 

Perhaps  a  little  more  may  be  culled  from  the 
same  source  showing  how  greatly  impressed  Lord 
Dufferin  was  by  this  character.  When  he  was 
Governor-General  of  Canada  he  had  an  interview 
with  Mr.  Young  and  Mr.  Crosby,  a  missionary  from 
British  Columbia.  The  former  says :  "  I  showed 
him  my  Cree  Indian  Testament  printed  in  Evans' 
syllabic  characters,  and  explained  the  invention  to 
him.  At  once  his  curiosity  was  excited,  and  jump 
ing  up  he  hurried  off  for  pen  and  ink,  and  got  me 
to  write  out  the  whole  alphabet  for  him ;  and  then, 
with  that  glee  and  vivacity  for  which  his  lordship 
was  so  noted,  he  constituted  me  his  teacher,  and 
commenced  at  once  to  master  the  characters. 

"  As  their  simplicity  and  yet  wonderful  adapta 
tion  for  their  designed  work  became  evident  to 
him — for  in  a  short  time  he  was  able  to  read  a 
portion  of  the  Lord's  Prayer — Lord  Dufferin  was 
much  excited,  and  getting  up  from  his  chair  and 
holding  up  the  Testament  in  his  hand,  exclaimed, 
6  Why,  Mr.  Young,  what  a  blessing  to  humanity 
the  man  was  who  invented  that  alphabet !  *  Then 
he  added,  *  I  profess  to  be  a  kind  of  literary  man 
myself,  and  try  to  keep  posted  up  in  my  reading 
of  what  is  going  on,  but  I  never  heard  of  this  before. 
The  fact  is,  the  nation  has  given  many  a  man  a 
title,  and  a  pension,  and  then  a  resting-place  and  a 


86  THE   LIFE   OF  E.    J.    PECK 

monument  in  Westminster  Abbey  who  never  did 
half  so  much  for  his  fellow-creatures.'  Then 
again  he  asked,  '  Who  did  you  say  was  the  author 
or  inventor  of  these  characters  ? ' 

"  '  The  Rev.  James  Evans,'  I  replied. 

" '  Well,  why  is  it  that  I  never  heard  of  him 
before,  I  wonder  ? 5 

"  My  reply  was,  '  My  lord,  perhaps  the  reason 
you  never  heard  of  him  before  was  because  he  was  a 
humble,  modest  Methodist  preacher.' 

"With  a  laugh  he  replied,  'That  may  have 
been  it.'  " 

The  adaptation  and  use,  then,  of  this  method  for 
transcribing  the  Scriptures  was  an  early  work  for 
the  missionary.  So  soon  as  April  9,  1877,  Mr. 
Peck  is  able  to  write  : — 

"  I  have  succeeded  in  teaching  several  of  the 
Eskimos  to  read  in  the  Syllabic  characters ;  they  are 
very  eager  to  learn.  One  of  them  said  that  he  was 
'  mad  to  learn.'  Let  us  hope  that  this  unusual 
complaint  may  prove  infectious.  There  are  twelve 
Eskimos  who  can  now  read  the  3rd  chapter  of  St. 
John's  Gospel  in  their  own  tongue."  Molucto  and 
his  son  were  at  this  time  able  to  read  as  much  as 
five  chapters,  some  parts  quite  fluently. 

Having  experimented  successfully  in  this  way, 
Mr.  Peck  resolved  as  soon  as  possible — i.e.,  as  soon 
as  ever  he  should  feel  quite  certain  of  the  sounds 
himself — to  transcribe  the  whole  Testament. 


CHAPTER  V 

PROGRESS— ORDINATION 

"  Separate   Me    Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the 
work  whereunto  I  have  called  them." 

WRITING  under  date,  April  9,  1877,  Mr-  Peck 
stated  that  the  Eskimos  who  had  up  to 
then  heard    the  Gospel  message  numbered   about 
one  hundred. 

It  may  be  said  that  this  is  very  small.  Perhaps 
so,  if  we  compare  Eskimo  work  with  that  among 
the  teeming  millions  of  India  or  China  or  some  other 
mission  field.  But  it  is  a  large  proportion  of  the 
sparse  population  of  seal  hunters.  And  to  be  con 
tinually  teaching  one  hundred  persons  here  and 
there,  besides  learning  their  language  and  doing 
literary  work,  is  no  mean  record  for  the  winter. 
And  soon  more  were  expected  to  come  to  the 
trading  post.  Before  the  break  up  of  the  ice  at 
least  as  many  again  would  arrive,  and  these  from 
the  distant  shores  on  the  north  side  of  Hudson's 
Strait.  And  thus  we  see  that  the  number  of  those 

87 


88  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

who  hear  the  Gospel  can  never  be  measured  by  the 
number  of  those  who  come  into  direct  contact  with 
the  missionary.  By  reason  of  the  migratory  and 
trading  habits  of  the  people,  his  influence  spreads 
far  and  wide  beyond  the  limits  of  the  sea-girt 
portion  of  the  continent  in  which  he  lives.  Far 
over  the  frozen  waters  the  traveller  drives  his 
sledge,  so  that  from  Little  Whale  River  or  any  part 
of  Labrador  the  tidings  of  salvation  may  sound  forth 
to  Baffin  Land,  and  thence  to  Melville  Peninsula, 
and  so  on  down  the  west  side  of  Hudson's  Bay  or 
elsewhere.  The  Word  of  God  is  not  bound,  and 
there  is  no  limit  to  its  free  course,  In  northern 
regions  we  might  put  a  new  word  into  the  mouth 
of  the  old  prophet,  and  say.  "  The  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  ice  covers  the  sea," 

Each  man  who  has  heard  and  valued  the  message 
for  himself  passes  it  on.  Thus,  as  the  widening 
ripples  on  the  surface  of  the  smooth  waters  show 
that  there  must  have  been  a  stone  cast  into  the  lake, 
so  conversely  the  missionary  finds  evidence  that, 
though  hidden  from  vast  numbers  of  those  living 
in  the  regions  beyond,  the  smooth  surface  of  their 
careless  lives  has  been  disturbed  by  the  vibrations 
of  his  teaching. 

Mr.  Peck  has  found  this  in  his  own  life.  He  has 
had  the  satisfaction  and  joy  of  discovering  Eskimos, 
whom  he  has  never  met  before,  able  to  read  as  a 
result  of  his  own  teaching.  He  has  instructed  some 


PROGRESS  89 

one  at  Little  Whale  River.  The  man  who  has 
learned  has  then  wandered  away  in  pursuit  of  game 
or  for  trade,  and  has  imparted  to  his  friends  that 
which  he  has  received. 

The  teacher  should  himself  always  be  learning 
the  lesson  not  to  despise  small  numbers.  Had  the 
greatest  of  all  teachers  not  appreciated  this,  the 
world  would  never  have  been  evangelized.  For  it 
was  not  when  Jesus  Christ  had  the  multitudes 
hanging  on  His  words ;  not  when  He  was  feeding 
the  thousands  in  the  wilderness ;  not  when  He  was 
entering  in  triumph  into  Jerusalem,  that  He  was 
making  a  marked  and  permanent  effect  upon  man 
kind.  But  it  was  rather  when  weary  and  footsore 
by  the  roadside ;  when  storm-tossed  on  the  sea ; 
when  presiding  over  the  last  sad  supper  in  the  upper 
chamber,  pouring  His  teaching  into  twelve  ignorant 
fishermen  who  misunderstood  Him,  and  saturating 
them  with  it,  that  He  was  fashioning  the  weapons 
to  break  down  the  opposition  of  sin  and  win  the 
world  for  God.  Let  this  be  the  comfort  of  the  lonely 
worker,  and  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  caviller  con 
cerning  inadequate  results  to  expenditure  of  energy 
and  money. 

The  experience  of  the  first  few  months  among 
them  was  distinctly  favourable  as  regards  the  recep 
tive  temperament  of  the  people.  Mr.  Peck  is  able 
to  say,  "  I  find  nearly  all  the  Eskimos  eager  to 
hear  the  things  of  God."  This  was,  of  course,  largely 


90  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

due  to  favourable  impressions  that  had  been  made 
upon -the  minds  of  the  natives  by  the  visits  of  former 
missionaries  and  Bishop  Horden,  as  well  as  to  the 
example  and  influence  of  some  of  the  European 
traders.  In  this  respect  Mr.  Peck's  work  began  under 
very  favourable  auspices  when  compared  with  that 
of  Hans  Egede  and  the  Moravians  of  the  eighteenth 
century  among  the  Eskimos  of  Greenland. 

But  the  sojourn  of  a  new  white  man  at  the  trading 
settlement  called  forth  much  comment  from  among 
the  Eskimos,  and  especially  among  those  who  were 
constantly  coming  in  for  barter.  They  knew  the 
Company's  agents  as  men  who  had  goods  for 
exchange.  But  here  was  another  most  extraordinary 
agent  who  had  no  merchandise  for  traffic,  but  merely 
a  wondrous  message  from  which  self-interest  seemed 
to  be  entirely  absent.  "  Ho  !  come,  buy  without 
money  and  without  price  !  " 

Many  were  the  surmises  made  by  these  heathen 
as  to  the  origin  of  so  strange  a  being.  Where  had  he 
come  from  ?  Why  had  he  come  ?  etc. 

"  Once,  when  speaking  to  a  party  of  these  people," 
Mr.  Peck  says,  "  I  overheard  a  few  of  the  newest- 
comers  asking  some  of  those  who  had  first  arrived 
where  I  came  from. 

"  One  of  the  questioned,  in  the  most  sincere  and 
simple  manner,  replied  :  '  He  fell  down  from  heaven 
to  save  the  Eskimos.' 

"  Many  of  them,  when  I  entered  their  dwellings, 


PROGRESS  91 

would  say  to  me  :  '  Thou  art  good  to  come  to  such 
loathsome  creatures  as  we  are  ! '  referring  to  their 
peculiarly  dirty  dwellings  and  surroundings. 

"  Others  again  would  say  :  '  This  is  our  father  ;  he 
has  come  to  save  us ! ' 

"  Their  inquiries  about  my  country  and  my  condi 
tion  were  also  sometimes  very  amusing.  Some  of 
the  ladies  were  most  desirous  of  knowing  whether 
I  was  a  married  man  or  not. 

"  I  remember  the  blank  amaze  depicted  upon  the 
face  of  an  Eskimo  when  I  told  him  that  in  my 
country  the  sea  was  not  frozen  over,  and  that  we 
had  but  little  snow. 

"  Their  manifested  surprise  when  they  entered 
my  little  house,  and  beheld  the  many  articles  their 
eyes  had  never  looked  upon  before,  was  very  great. 
A  looking-glass  was  a  source  of  intense  interest  as 
well  as  amusement. 

"  I  remember  one  unusually  grimy  party  of  this 
far  from  cleanly  race  entering  my  little  habitation. 
It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  some  of  them 
were  coated  with  dirt  and  grease — wore  hides  of  it. 

"  Taking  them  to  the  looking-glass  I  invited  them 
to  take  a  good  look  at  themselves.  Then,  having 
set  out  a  large  tub  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  water, 
soap,  etc.,  I  further  invited  them  to  indulge  in  a 
bath. 

"  With  much  fun  and  pleasant  badinage  one  with 
the  other,  they  managed,  after  much  scrubbing, 


92  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

to  get  some,  at  least,  of  the  filth  from  their  greasy 
faces. 

"Another  peep  in  the  glass,  and  their  surprise 
was  unbounded  as  they  began  to  realize  the  trans 
forming  power  of  soap  and  water.  (Note. — What 
a  picture  here  for  PEARS  !  An  Eskimo,  say,  before 
and  after  a  bath  with  PEARS'  SOAP  1  What  a 
striking  advertisement  it  would  make !) 

"  The  people  also  manifested  much  desire  to  know 
how  various  articles,  uncommon  to  them  and  to 
their  own  rude  fashionings,  were  made,  Earthen 
ware  jugs,  tea-pots,  etc.,  greatly  excited  their 
curiosity,  and  when  I  explained  that  such  articles 
were  made,  of  a  particular  kind  of  clay  baked  in 
great  heat,  they  would  gaze  at  me  with  something 
of  awe  in  their  manner,  as  though  they  regarded 
the  white  man  as  the  embodiment  of  all  wonders. 

"Such  an  article  as  a  watch,  they  could  scarcely 
conceive  as  being  made,  but  supposed  it  to  be  a 
living,  sentient  thing.  When  it  ticked  they  said 
it  was  alive  ;  when  it  ceased  its  ticking,  they  spoke 
of  it  as  dead." 

But  however  receptive  of  teaching  the  people 
might  be,  or  however  curious  about  the  stranger,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  first  object  they  had 
in  view  was,  of  course,  not  learning  from  the  mis 
sionary,  but  trade.  Consequently,  their  time  was 
taken  up  with  business  pursuits  during  the  day. 
There  is  a  brief  reference  to  this  in  Mr.  Peck's 


PROGRESS  93 

notes.  "  I  have  accordingly  to  work  much  at 
night,  God's  workers  must  not  give  comfort  the 
first  place  :  Christ  alone  must  have  that."  Simple 
as  these  words  are  they  speak  volumes  to  many 
at  home  who  value  the  quiet  rest  of  their  evening 
fireside,  and  are  reluctant  to  sacrifice  it  upon  the 
altar  of  their  service,  even  though  they  are  sur 
rounded  by  thousands  of  luxuries,  which  they  may 
consider  necessaries,  unknown  to  the  dweller  in 
frozen  lands.  Yet  it  is  only  Christianity  with  a 
Cross,  and  that  Cross  evident  in  the  life  of  each 
professor  that  can  make  the  world  believe  in  Christ. 
It  is  no  use  now,  any  more  than  it  was  in 
Apostolic  days,  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  love 
while  we  shut  ourselves  up  in  comfortable  selfish 
ness.  Were  it  otherwise,  we  might  evangelize  the 
world  by  distributing  tracts. 

And  so  a  self-sacrificing  love  is  rewarded,  and  in 
a  letter  written  in  July  we  read  again :  "  God  has 
helped  and  blessed  me  much  in  my  work.  I  have 
already  ministered  to  about  300  of  the  Eskimos. 
Most  of  these  received  the  Word  with  gladness ; 
they  always  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome  when  I 
visited  them  in  their  snow-houses." 

The  last  words  in  this  extract  should  not  be  over 
looked.  "  In  their  snow-houses  "  is  the  locale  of 
the  evening  work.  We  have  spoken  of  the  English 
fireside  above.  If  that  is  sacrificed  it  may  be  for 
a  well-warmed  ventilated  church  or  mission-room, 


94  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

or  even  for  a  clean  cottage  where  a  meeting  is  to  be 
held.  Mr.  Peck  forsakes  his  own  room  night  after 
night  through  the  long  winter  to  go  forth  into  the 
piercing  cold,  to  crawl  on  hands  and  knees  through 
the  low  tunnel  or  porch  of  snow  that  leads  to  the 
circular  and  domed  dwelling  chamber.  Inside  the 
atmosphere  is  hot,  the  stench  is  intolerable,  for  there 
is  no  ventilation,  and  the  European  visitor  almost 
feels  that  he  must  turn  back  or  be  suffocated  or 
be  sick.  The  place  is  dirty  and  gory,  and  raw 
seals'  blubber  is  lying  about,  the  remnants  of  the 
family's  dinner,  or  that  which  is  to  be  to-morrow's 
meal.  The  scene  is  not  appetising.  But  the 
missionary,  constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ,  forgets 
these  surroundings  as  he  describes  a  gathering  in 
one  of  these  iglos  : 

"  Books  in  hand  we  bend  low,  and  by  the  light 
of  the  Eskimo  lamp  sing  praises  to  God,  read  portions 
of  His  Word,  and  commend  ourselves  with  loved 
ones,  far  away,  to  the  care  of  our  God.  Times  of 
spiritual  joy  and  blessing,  of  real  refreshing  from 
the  Lord  have  we  experienced  on  the  icy  waste." 

After  the  brief  summer  of  1877,  we  find  Mr.  Peck 
once  more  at  Moose  for  the  winter.  There  were  two 
or  three  important  matters  on  account  of  which 
his  presence  was  required  there. 

The  foremost  of  these  was  the  desire  of  the 
Bishop  to  ordain  him.  He  had  already  learned  to 
appreciate  him,  and  to  understand  that  he  was  just 


*- 


ORDINATION  95 

the  man  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  set  apart  for  the 
Eskimos,  for  whose  spiritual  welfare  he  had  long 
felt  a  deep  concern.  In  the  beginning  of  September 
it  is  pleasing  to  find  Bishop  Horden,  as  he  takes  a 
retrospect,  writing  to  the  C.M.S. :  "  A  load  of  anxiety 
was  removed  from  my  mind  by  the  occupation  of 
Little  Whale  River  as  a  mission  station.  I  knew  the 
needs  of  the  poor  Eskimos  ;  I  knew  their  longing  for 
the  Word  of  Life  ;  and  I  knew  too  how  very  in 
adequately  I  could  fulfil  towards  them  the  duties 
of  a  spiritual  father.  So  correspondingly  great  was 
my  joy  when  I  saw  the  long-expected  messenger 
arrive,  and  knew  that  he  was  destined  for  the  regions 
of  the  north.  I  thank  the  Committee  for  a  man  ; 
I  thank  them  doubly  for  the  man  ;  a  better  selection 
could  not  have  been  made.  One  would  require  to 
look  and  wait  long  before  he  could  find  another  so 
well  fitted  for  the  work.  Patient,  humble,  prudent, 
loving,  he  wins  the  hearts  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact,  while  his  diligence  is  patent  to  all 
by  the  progress  he  has  made  in  the  difficult  languages 
with  which  he  has  to  deal.  He  is  now  with  me, 
and  will  study  divinity  until  February,  when  I  hope 
to  ordain  him ;  after  which  he  will  proceed  again  to 
Little  Whale  River,  to  meet  the  Eskimos  when  they 
come  in  to  barter  their  furs." 

And  so  a  quiet  time  of  preparation  for  the  solemn 
dedication  of  himself  to  God  was  the  first  object  of 
the  winter's  sojourn  at  Moose  Factory. 


96  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Then,  again,  almost  immediately  after  Mr.  Peck's 
arrival  at  Little  Whale  River,  Bishop  Horden  had 
written  an  urgent  letter  to  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  in  England  asking  that  an  iron  church  might 
be  sent  out  to  him. 

"  It  is,"  said  the  Bishop,  "  quite  indispensable. 
No  wood  grows  near  there  at  all  fit  for  buildings, 
and  he  cannot  preach  to  or  teach  his  people  in  the 
open  air  with  the  thermometer  at  40  degrees  below 
zero.  It  should  be  large  enough  to  accommodate 
150  people." 

Through  the  kindness  of  private  friends,  among 
whom  were  the  Rev.  Henry  Wright  and  Miss  Wright 
(now  Mrs.  Moule),  a  pretty  little  iron  building  of 
the  size  required  had  been  purchased,  costing  alto 
gether  £300,  and  had  been  sent  out  in  pieces  in  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  annual  ship  to  Moose 
Factory. 

We  can  readily  understand,  after  the  preaching 
and  teaching  in  snow-houses,  how  anxious  Mr.  Peck 
was  to  convey  this  iron  building  to  Little  Whale 
River.  Writing  on  September  5,  he  says  he  hopes 
to  take  it  back  to  his  Eskimo  station  when  the  winter 
is  over.  But  in  this  hope  he  was  for  a  time  dis 
appointed. 

The  winter  passed  in  learning,  reading  with  the 
Bishop,  translating  and  transcribing.  "  While 
here,"  he  writes,  "  I  finished  transcribing  into  the 
Syllabic  character  portions  of  the  New  Testament. 


ORDINATION  97 

Besides  those  chapters  of  St.  John  previously  men 
tioned,  these  portions  included  passages  from  St. 
Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and  various  texts 
which  were  specially  arranged  in  triplicate  forms. 
The  object  of  this  arrangement  was  to  give  the 
people  a  definite  and  clear  idea  of  the  Gospel  before 
they  had  advanced  very  far  in  their  powers  of  read 
ing.  They  learned  by  heart  three  texts  which  con 
tained  consecutive  thoughts  or  facts  in  the  scheme 
of  salvation.  Thus,  "  All  have  sinned  ";  "  God 
so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten 
Son,"  etc.  ;  "  We  love  Him  because  He  first  loved 
us,"  are  three  in  proper  sequence  giving  an  intel 
ligible  reason  for  conversion  and  amendment  of 
life. 

Many  portions  similarly  arranged  were,  with  the 
Bishop's  hearty  approval,  sent  home  to  be  printed. 
The  S.P.C.K.,  to  the  missionary's  great  joy,  under 
took  the  work,  and  sent  them  out  the  following  year 
printed  and  ready  for  use. 

On  February  3,  1878,  came  the  ordination  at 
Moose  Factory. 

Twice  in  the  year  the  Station,  usually  so 
quiet,  becomes  somewhat  animated — in  August, 
when  the  annual  ship  arrives  from  England,  and 
again  in  February,  when  the  long  silence  is  broken 
by  the  arrival  of  our  overland  post. 

At  the  latter  season  teams  of  dogs  may  be  seen 
coming  in  from  the  neighbouring  stations,  bringing 

7 


98  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  officers,  who  come  here 
to  await  their  letters.  It  was  in  order  that  these 
might  have  an  opportunity  of  being  present  that 
Bishop  Horden  fixed  Sunday,  February  3,  as  the 
day  for  the  ordination.  The  service  began  at 
eleven.  The  church,  which  seats  a  goodly  number, 
was  quite  full ;  indeed,  only  about  two  persons  were 
absent  without  good  cause.  As  soon  as  the  voluntary 
had  ended,  the  looth  Psalm  was  given  out,  and  sung 
with  great  spirit,  Miss  Horden  leading  at  the  har 
monium.  Then  the  Bishop  went  at  once  to  the  pulpit, 
and  preached  an  excellent  sermon  on  2  Tim.  iv.  2, 
"  Preach  the  Word."  After  calling  attention  to  the 
character  in  which  St.  Paul  would  have  Timothy 
to  go  forth,  viz.,  as  a  "  herald,"  he  dwelt  at  some 
length  on  the  signification  of  "  the  Word,"  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  should  be  ministered.  Then, 
addressing  himself  more  directly  to  the  candidate, 
he  remarked  on  the  peculiar  features  of  the  work 
before  him  : 

"  Your  home  is  to  be  in  one  of  the  world's  bye- 
places,  where,  except  the  priceless  souls  to  be  gathered 
in,  there  is  nothing  to  attract  you.  Of  ice  and  snow, 
of  storm  and  tempest,  of  wild  bleak  hills,  and  an 
utterly  unproductive  soil,  you  will  have  enough 
and  more  than  enough  ;  and  amid  those  you  will 
have,  perhaps,  to  endure  much  hardness.  Yet  I 
think  you  are  to  be  envied.  For  the  missionary 
should  not  look  so  much  to  his  surroundings  as 


ORDINATION  99 

to  his  prospects  in  his  ministerial  work.  And  yours 
are  glorious  !  I  think  there  is  no  mission  in  the 
whole  country  in  which  God  has  more  people  to 
be  gathered  in  than  in  the  Mission  at  Whale  River. 
Long  has  the  cry  been  raised,  '  Come  over  and  help 
us '  ;  but  it  met  with  a  faint  response  ;  an  occa 
sional  visit  was  all  that  could  be  given.  .  .  .  But 
I  longed  for  a  shepherd,  and  at  last  the  noble  C.M.S. 
sent  me  you  to  be  the  Eskimos'  missionary.  .  .  . 
No  people  I  have  ever  seen  or  heard  of  seem  more 
ready  to  receive  the  Gospel  than  they,  more  ready 
to  honour  the  bearer  of  Glad  Tidings,  or  to  lend  him 
all  possible  assistance,  so  as  to  render  his  life  among 
them  as  free  from  care  as  circumstances  will  permit. 
With  the  language  you  are  partially  acquainted  ; 
make  yourself  a  thorough  master  thereof.  Be  to 
them  a  father.  Feed  them  with  the  milk  of  the 
Word  ;  and  I  trust  that,  by-and-by,  you  may  be 
enabled  to  present  one  of  your  spiritual  children 
as  one  fitted  for,  and  anxious  to  become,  a  teacher 
of  others  also.  A  numerous  body  of  Indians,  and 
a  few  Europeans  and  half-castes,  are  likewise 
entrusted  to  your  care.  The  soul  of  each  one  is 
equally  precious  in  the  sight  of  Christ,  and  must 
be  so  in  yours.  Neglect  no  opportunity  of  speaking 
a  word  for  Christ.  Think  it  no  less  important  to 
speak  to  one  than  to  five  hundred.  The  deep 
spiritual  sermons  in  John  iii.  and  iv.  were  preached 
in  each  case  to  but  one  person.  Preach  the  word  to 


ioo  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

hundreds  when  you  have  opportunity.  Preach  to 
the  single  individual  as  occasion  arises.  In  the 
house,  in  the  iglo,  in  the  tent,  in  the  church,  preach 
the  Word." 

After  the  hymn,  "  The  Church's  one  Foundation," 
the  Bishop  took  his  seat  in  front  of  the  Communion 
table,  and  the  candidate  was  presented  in  the  usual 
way.  After  the  laying  on  of  hands,  Mr.  Peck  read 
the  Gospel. 

The  winter  was  not  over,  and  the  newly-ordained 
missionary  would  not  return  to  his  station  until 
the  summer.  The  departure  of  winter  was  eagerly 
awaited  for  more  than  one  reason.  The  old  Greek 
proverb  says,  "  One  swallow  does  not  make 
spring."  In  Hudson's  Bay,  however,  the  goose  of 
prose  might  be  substituted  for  the  bird  of  poetry. 
Bishop  Horden,  writing  soon  after  the  ordination, 
says : 

"  But  spring  was  coming,  even  though  it  came 
tardily,  and  by-and-by  great  excitement  was  caused 
by  the  announcement  that  a  goose  had  been  seen ; 
and  now  "  goose  "  was  the  great  subject  of  conversa 
tion.  When  would  the  first  goose  be  killed  ?  Who 
would  be  the  lucky  individual  to  kill  it  ?  Goose 
stands  were  made  at  intervals  of  about  half  a  mile 
all  down  the  river.  Decoy  geese  were  in  abundance, 
but  the  wild  geese  were  very  shy.  They  rewarded 
the  hunter's  patience  and  skill  but  moderately ;  but, 
in  the  poor  times  we  were  experiencing,  every  single 


ORDINATION  101 

goose  was  a  prize,  and  often  a  hunter  sat  in  his  stand 
two  or  three  days  without  securing  one.  This  year 
the  birds  could  find  no  feeding  in  consequence  of  the 
great  depth  of  snow,  and  on  certain  spots  hundreds 
were  found  frozen,  starved  to  death.  I  do  not 
remember  having  heard  of  a  similar  occurrence." 

It  was  not  until  July,  1878,  that  the  Rev.  E.  J. 
Peck  returned  to  Little  Whale  River.  En  route  he 
visited  some  of  the  trading  posts  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  One  of  the  places  was  Seal  River. 
Speaking  of  this  place,  he  says : 

"  Here  I  met  some  twenty  Indians  ;  these  being 
Christians,  they  desired  me  to  baptize  their  children. 
For  this  purpose  they  cleared  one  corner  of  their 
tent  for  my  use,  and  made  other  preparations.  Such 
acts  showed  their  kindness  and  good  wishes.  What 
a  curious  sight,  this  Indian  tent,  with  moss  for  a 
carpet,  and  dried  fish  over  my  head,  together  with 
the  motley  group  who  surrounded  me  !  But  there 
was  this  sweet  truth  which  gave  beauty  to  all,  viz., 
Jesus  was  near  to  bless  us  in  our  humble  abode, 
just  as  much,  I  believe,  as  if  we  had  the  spire  of  some 
noble  building  over  our  heads." 

The  next  place  visited  was  Great  Whale  River. 
"  Here,"  Mr.  Peck  writes,  "  I  met  about  fifty  Indians ; 
they  were  eager  to  hear  about  Jesus.  I  told  them 
the  simple  story  of  the  Saviour's  love,  and  exhorted 
them  to  have  Jesus  for  their  Friend  and  Guide. 
I  have  no  doubt  but  God  will  bless  such  feeble 


102  THE   LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

efforts.  I  am  sure  He  loves  the  Indians  as  much  as 
any  one  else ;  so  I  expect  Him  to  save  and  bless  them." 

On  his  arrival  at  Little  Whale  River  he  had  a 
pleasant  experience.  If  there  is  one  thing  that  a 
missionary  feels  more  anxiety  about  than  another, 
it  is  the  steadfastness  of  the  faith  of  young  converts 
and  the  permanent  effect  of  his  teaching  during  his 
absence.  It  may  be  said  that  the  faithful  servant 
of  Christ  should  have  more  trust  in  his  Master,  and 
in  the  upholding  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Be  this 
as  it  may,  St.  Paul's  feelings  were  very  similar  to 
those  of  a  modern  worker.  Both  alike  may  find  no 
rest  while  they  wait  for  the  coming  of  a  Titus. 
Both  alike  may  exclaim,  "  Wherefore  we  could  no 
longer  forbear  .  .  .  and  sent  Timotheus  our 
brother  ...  to  establish  you  and  comfort  you  con 
cerning  your  faith."  In  the  present  case  there  was 
no  Titus  or  Timothy  to  be  the  means  of  communica 
tion  between  the  teacher  and  the  taught,  and 
Marconigrams  were  as  yet  unthought  of.  And  so, 
if  a  few  anxious  thoughts  had  entered  his  mind 
during  the  many  months  of  his  enforced  absence, 
it  was  excusable.  But  on  his  arrival  he  says  : 

"  What  has  become  of  the  poor  Eskimos  during 
their  teacher's  absence  ?  I  have  a  pleasant  answer 
to  give,  which  is  this  :  the  same  God  who  was 
pleased  to  bless  them  while  I  was  with  them,  has 
done  the  same  during  my  absence.  This  has  been 
done  through  the  medium  of  my  helper,  Molucto, 


ORDINATION  103 

and  others  :  meetings  were  held  by  them  which 
were  well  attended,  and  the  Eskimos  were  very 
anxious  to  learn. 

"On  my  arrival  at  Little  Whale  River  the 
people  gave  me  a  very  hearty  welcome,  and  some 
of  them  appeared  quite  delighted  to  see  me. 

"  It  gives  me  great  joy  and  encouragement  to 
minister  to  these  people,  seeing  they  are  so  willing 
to  learn,  and  so  anxious  to  know  the  truth.  I  trust 
God  will  spare  me  to  live  with  them  for  many  years. 
Jesus  is  known  to  many  ;  and  the  Spirit's  sanctifying 
influence  is  felt,  I  trust,  in  some  hearts.  Let  us 
press  on  in  faith,  nothing  doubting,  and  God  will 
give  a  still  greater  blessing.  Let  us  pray  and  work, 
for  life  is  brief  and  the  souls  of  men  are  precious." 

The  willingness  and  desire  to  teach  and  help 
others  on  the  upward  and  heavenly  path  is  surely 
the  most  Christ-like  spirit  that  can  be  displayed, 
and  the  one  most  coveted  for  His  people  by  those 
who  themselves  endeavour  to  act  on  the  great  com 
mand,  "  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that 
they  may  see  your  goods  works,  and  glorify  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  This  spirit  had 
manifested  itself  among  the  Eskimos. 

Here  might  be  mentioned  the  first  incident  of  real 
encouragement  as  far  as  actual  conversion  is  con 
cerned.  It  was  the  case  of  a  heathen  woman  who 
came  to  the  trading  station  at  Little  Whale  River 
with  a  party  of  her  people.  She  listened  most 


io4  THE     LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

attentively  to  the  great  and  wonderful  truths  which 
were  brought  to  her  notice,  and  Mr.  Peck  was  glad 
dened  to  see  how  earnestly  she  desired  instruction. 

After  a  time  she  had  to  leave  the  station,  moving 
out  on  the  frozen  sea.  While  living  in  a  snow- 
house  on  that  barren,  icy  waste,  she  was  laid  low 
by  sickness.  Her  heathen  neighbours  tried  to  per 
suade  her  in  every  possible  way  to  listen  to  the 
conjurors.  But  the  woman  was  firm,  and  did  not 
heed  their  appeals.  The  heathen  themselves  brought 
in  tidings  to  the  station  some  time  after  that  she 
had  died  trusting  in  her  new  found  faith. 

"  What  a  comfort  this  was  to  me !  "  exclaims 
the  solitary  worker  for  Christ.  "  How  it  strengthened 
my  faith,  and  enabled  me  to  press  on  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord  !  " 

And  so  we  pass  on  through  another  winter. 
Trials  do  not  become  less,  but  they  are  cast  more 
on  Him  who  is  ever  ready  to  bear  them.  En 
couragement  becomes  greater  and  gives  increased 
energy  and  power  of  endurance  to  the  missionary. 
For  in  March,  1879,  he  is  once  more  able  to  speak 
of  the  furtherance  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  "  I 
have  already  met  several  strange  Eskimos  this 
year  to  whom  I  have  ministered  according  to  my 
ability.  A  number  of  the  people  were  with  me  for 
some  time.  I  had  them  with  me  about  five  hours 
each  day,  so  that  I  was  able  to  give  them  a  good 
supply  of  spiritual  food.  One  family,  consisting  of 


ORDINATION  105 

some  twelve  members,  gave  me  their  charms  or 
idols,  desiring  to  have  Jesus  only  as  their  Saviour 
and  Defender.  Many  of  the  Eskimos  seem  to  have 
lost  all  faith  in  their  conjurors,  although  they  are 
not  yet  willing  to  part  with  their  charms.  I  have 
told  them  plainly  they  cannot  have  Jesus  and  their 
idols  also,  so  that  they  must  leave  them  if  they  wish 
to  be  saved.  I  do  not  wish  any  one  to  imagine 
that  these  favourable  results  have  been  brought 
about  solely  by  my  agency,  for  if  human  agency  is 
considered,  I  must  say  that  my  helper,  Molucto, 
has  done,  and  continues  to  do,  a  great  work.  He 
seems  to  have  a  deep  love  for  the  souls  of  his  fellow- 
countrymen. 

"  I  intend  to  baptize  four  of  the  Eskimos  who  have 
been  under  instruction,  and  who  have  forsaken 
their  heathenism.  In  this  matter  I  have  earnestly 
asked  God  to  guide  and  direct  me.  I  shall  be  in 
no  hurry  to  baptize  inquirers,  but  I  shall  give  them 
time  to  count  the  cost  of  their  religion.  It  is  right 
to  build  the  Eskimo  Church  on  a  good  foundation  ; 
for  if  the  people  imagine  that  Christianity  consists 
in  being  baptized,  and  having  certain  outward  forms 
and  ceremonies,  while  they  cling  to  their  sins  and 
follow  some  of  their  heathen  practices,  I  am  afraid 
the  blessing  of  God  will  not  be  manifest." 

Shall  we  look  at  the  story  of  one  who  was  baptized  ? 
It  is  that  of  Neppingerok,  and  shows  most 
strikingly  some  of  the  dangers  of  Eskimo  life  on 


106          THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

the  one  hand,  and  the  mighty  power  of  God's  grace 
on  the  other. 

"  Neppingerok  was  an  Eskimo  of  much  intelli 
gence,  and  always  showed  considerable  desire  for 
instruction,  though  until  he  was  laid  low  with 
sickness  and  affliction,  he  had  never  evinced  any 
special  spiritual  desires. 

"  One  day  in  the  autumn,  when  the  sea  began  to 
freeze  over,  he  ventured  out  upon  the  ice  (which 
was  not  very  thick  yet),  bent  upon  the  capture  of 
seals  for  food  for  his  wife  and  little  ones. 

"  When  some  distance  from  the  land  a  gale  of 
wind  arose,  and  the  ice  was  shattered  by  the  fury 
of  the  storm,  and  Neppingerok  was  carried  away 
on  a  floating  island  of  ice. 

"  Every  moment  he  expected  the  frozen  piece 
upon  which  he  stood  would  break.  But  God 
kept  him  from  this  awful  fate. 

"  The  wind  suddenly  abated,  then  began  again 
to  blow,  but  this  time  in  an  opposite  direction, 
urging  the  floe  on  which  he  stood  towards  the  land. 
Tossed  to  and  fro  for  twenty  hours  upon  that  floe, 
he  succeeded  at  last  in  reaching  the  shore.  But 
this  fearful  voyaging  had  been  too  much  for  him, 
hardy  as  he  was  by  nature,  and  rapid  consumption 
set  in. 

"  I  could  see,"  says  Mr.  Peck,  "  that  he  had  not 
long  to  live,  and  patiently,  prayerfully  tried  to  lay 
before  him  the  Gospel  scheme. 


ORDINATION  107 

"  He  listened  very  eagerly,  very  attentively  to  the 
Glad  Tidings  of  a  Saviour's  love,  and  applied  himself 
most  assiduously  to  learn  to  read  the  little  book 
containing  portions  of  God's  Holy  Word. 

"  His  anxiety  to  know  the  Lord  soon  deepened 
into  a  real,  living  trust  in  the  crucified  One,  and  a 
full  confession  of  his  faith.  I  had  the  joy  of  baptizing 
him.  He  took  the  name  of  John. 

"  Some  little  time  after  the  poor  fellow  died. 
I  was  not  with  him  when  he  passed  away,  but  the 
last  thing  he  did  was  to  read  the  Word  of  God, 
especially  St.  John's  Gospel,  chapter  xiv.,  which 
speaks  of  the  Father's  house  with  the  many  mansions 
for  the  disciples  of  Christ." 


CHAPTER   VI 

CONSOLIDATION     OF      WORK 

"  Now,  my  God,  let,  I  beseech  Thee,  Thine 
eyes  be  open,  and  let  Thine  ears  be  attent  unto 
the  prayer  that  is  made  in  this  place." 

WHEN  the  summer  of  1879  was  advanced,  the 
Rev.  E.  J.  Peck  was  able  to  thank  God  and 
take  courage  both  on  account  of  sympathetic  co 
operation  which  he  received  in  his  work  and  for  the 
consolidation,  so  to  speak,  of  his  teaching. 

The  co-operation  came  from  the  newly-awakened 
earnestness  in  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  He  not  only  dedicated  himself  to 
the  service  of  God,  but  exercised  all  the  influence 
which  he  possessed  in  the  same  direction,  both  among 
Eskimos  and  Indians.  What  an  example  of  this 
kind  means  to  the  missionary  none  but  the  mis 
sionary  can  tell.  It  is  always  one  of  the  sorest 
trials  to  find  the  heathen  pointing  the  finger  of 
scorn  at  the  un-Christlike  lives  of  our  fellow-country 
men,  and  telling  the  preacher  to  convert  them  first. 


108 


CONSOLIDATION  109 

The  logic  of  facts  is  always  the  most  powerful,  and 
one  profligate  life  may  keep  out  many  waverers  on 
the  threshold  of  the  Kingdom.  And  conversely,  one 
earnest,  consistent  layman  may  be  the  means  of 
drawing  numbers  through  the  Beautiful  Gate. 

Besides  this  helper,  who  was  in  a  position  inde 
pendent  of  the  Mission,  Bishop  Horden  sent  an 
assistant  to  share  the  work  with  Mr.  Peck.  This 
was  Mr.  Edward  Richards,  a  layman,  who  was, 
however,  subsequently  ordained,  and  is  still  labour 
ing  in  the  Diocese  of  Moosonee.  He  was  not  in  the 
same  station  with  Mr.  Peck,  but  was  set  to  the 
oversight  of  some  distant  parts  of  his  wide  "  parish." 

Consolidation  of  work  there  also  was.  On  Aug.  6 
we  read : 

"  The  books  sent  last  year  have  proved  a  great 
boon,  and  I  have  good  reason  for  believing  that 
God's  Spirit  has  taken  the  written  Word  as  the 
means  of  enlightening  the  souls  of  some  of  my  poor 
people.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  several  can  now 
read  their  books  quite  fluently. 

"  I  have  made  it  a  practice  during  the  time  I  have 
been  at  Little  Whale  River  to  instruct  all  the  Eski 
mos  who  live  at  this  post  daily,  so  that  they  can  all, 
with  few  exceptions,  read  their  books  ;  and  I  believe 
any  of  them  would  give  satisfactory  answers  if  ques 
tioned  upon  mcst  of  the  leading  truths  of  Chris 
tianity." 

But  there  was  further  joy  also.    For  better  means 


no          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

of  teaching  the  people  were  at  hand.  In  the  last 
chapter  it  was  pointed  out  that  though  the  much- 
needed  iron  church  had  arrived  at  Moose  in  1877, 
it  had  not  been  possible  for  Mr.  Peck  to  take  it  back 
with  him  on  his  return  to  Little  Whale  River  in  1878. 
Towards  the  end  of  August,  1879,  it  was  reported  as 
being  at  the  trading  station.  The  erection  of  the 
building  was  completed  under  difficulties,  but  by  the 
latter  part  of  October  all  obstacles  had  been  over 
come.  A  letter  of  December  20,  written  to  the 
Rev.  Henry  Wright,  gives  a  full  account  : 

"  You  will  be  delighted  to  hear  that  God  has 
enabled  me  to  erect  the  iron  church.  It  is  a  nice, 
neat  little  building,  measuring  (exclusive  of  chancel) 
forty  feet  long  by  twenty  wide.  I  was  about  eight 
weeks  erecting  it,  the  Eskimos  being  employed  by 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company ;  I  was,  therefore,  only 
able  to  have  their  help  for  eight  days,  so  that  the 
lion's  share  of  the  task  came  to  my  lot.  I  had  also 
plenty  of  puzzling  work,  as  the  ground  plan  could 
not  be  found ;  but  with  experiments,  perseverance, 
and  hard  work,  we  managed  finally  to  get  every 
thing  in  its  place. 

"  The  building  was  opened  on  Sunday,  October  26. 
I  preached  in  Eskimo,  Indian,  and  English  to  my 
small  flock.  I  spent  a  most  happy  day ;  and  I 
think  our  poor  Eskimos,  Indians,  and  others  were 
very  thankful  for  the  gift  which  has  been  sent  them. 
For  my  own  part,  I  feel  deeply  thankful  to  God, 


CONSOLIDATION  in 

and  God's  people,  who  have  given  me  such  a  help 
in  my  work.  You  know  how  necessary  it  is  to 
have  a  proper  place  wherein  to  worship  God  ;  I 
shall  now  be  able  to  speak  to  the  people  with  some 
comfort,  whereas  formerly  I  was  forced  to  pack 
them  in  my  little  house,  or  go  into  the  open  air,  or 
have  them  in  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  quarters. 
I  have  no  doubt  the  Eskimos  who  arrive  in  the  spring 
will  be  glad  to  assemble  within  the  building ;  they 
will  see  for  themselves  the  gift  which  has  been  sent 
them,  so  that  I  hope  their  hearts  may  be  inclined 
to  receive  Him  who  is  willing  and  waiting  to  give 
them  a  still  greater  gift — even  life  eternal.  As  the 
church  will  be  visible  to  all,  it  will  be  a  silent  wit 
ness  for  God.  The  Eskimos  will  also  understand 
our  desires  for  their  welfare  far  better  than  if  mere 
words  were  used. 

"  I  am  happy  to  say  that  God  is  still  helping  and 
blessing  me  in  this  work.  The  Eskimos  continue 
desirous  to  learn,  and  some  of  them  show  signs  of 
spiritual  life,  for  which  blessings  I  am  indeed  thank 
ful.  I  have  a  firm  persuasion  that  God  has  a  great 
blessing  in  store  for  the  Indians  and  Eskimos.  I 
have  been  led  to  plead  much  for  them  of  late,  and  if 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  incited  me  to  more  earnestness 
in  prayer,  it  is  (according  to  my  mind)  that  He  may 
use  and  fit  the  weak  instrument  for  a  means  of  bless 
ing  to  others.  God,  as  you  know,  generally  works 
upon  our  own  souls  when  He  intends  to  use  us. 


H2  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Oh  !  may  He  often  work  within  us,  inciting  us  to 
more  earnestness  and  devotion  in  His  blessed  work  ! 

"  May  I  ask  you  to  make  the  month  of  May  a 
particular  time  of  prayer  for  the  Eskimos  ?  It  is 
then  that  the  greatest  number  are  near  me ;  then  I 
am  in  the  midst  of  the  fearful  battle  against  Satan, 
sin,  and  indifference,  and  I  need  particular  grace. 
You  know  there  are  special  seasons  when  we  need 
to  have  our  hands  upheld  by  special  prayer  and 
sympathy. 

"  The  news  of  the  iron  church  being  erected 
will  no  doubt  be  a  matter  of  much  joy  to  Miss  Agnes, 
yourself,  and  other  friends  who  thought  of  the  poor 
isolated  Eskimos,  and  sent  them  such  a  token  of 
love  and  sympathy.  Gratefully  yours  in  that 
blessed  hope,  "  E.  J.  PECK." 

The  surprise  of  the  Eskimos  who  travelled  to  the 
post  was  unbounded. 

"  The  poor  people  walked  around  the  outside  of 
the  building  and  tapped  the  corrugated  iron  with 
their  fingers,  wondering  of  what  peculiar  material 
such  a  building  could  be  made.  Others,  again, 
wondered  how  we  possibly  managed  to  erect  the 
steeple,  which,  after  all,  is  a  very  tiny  affair. 

"But  when  these  simple  folk  saw  the  inside  of  the 
church,  so  nicely  lined  and  varnished,  their  surprise 
knew  no  bounds,  and  they  cried  out ; 

"  What  a  wonderful  house  !  " 

"  Oh,  how  high  !  " 


CONSOLIDATION  113 

"  What  wonderful  seats  !  "  etc.,  etc. 

Again,  writing  to  Miss  Tolley  of  St.  Leonards-on- 
Sea,  Mr.  Peck  describes  the  iron  building,  and  adds, 
"  the  Eskimos  are  delighted  with  it,  and  seem  to 
think  themselves  the  richest  people  in  the  world  " 
on  account  of  this  great  possession. 

How  easy  would  it  be  for  the  wealth  of  Christian 
England  to  give  joy  to  the  world.  If  only  we  really 
believed  that  Christ  spoke  the  truth  when  He  said, 
"It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,"  and 
acted  accordingly,  there  would  soon  be  peace  upon 
earth  among  those  in  whom  God  is  well  pleased. 
But,  unhappily,  the  sayings  of  Christ  are  regarded 
as  containing  beautiful  sentiments,  albeit  unsuitable 
for  a  practical  and  business-like  age. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  new  church  was  brought 
into  full  use  and  consecrated  to  the  glory  of  God  by 
the  truest  service.  In  the  same  letter,  dated  Feb 
ruary  17,  1880,  just  quoted,  we  read,  "  I  have  been 
privileged  to  admit  some  of  my  people  into  the 
visible  Church  of  Christ  within  its  walls,  and  I  hope 
to  baptize  more  in  the  spring  of  this  year." 

We  have  heard  several  times  of  John  Molucto, 
and  the  help  he  was  rendering  to  the  missionary. 
We  might  here  enlarge  on  what  has  been  said  before, 
and  give  Mr.  Peck's  account  of  his  zeal  and  method 
under  great  difficulty  in  work.  At  the  date  above 
mentioned,  we  read ;  "  He  is  about  sixty  years  old, 
and  almost  a  cripple.  But  still  he  does  a  great  deal 

8 


H4          THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

of  work  for  the  Saviour.  When  the  Eskimos  are 
here  at  Little  Whale  River  he  speaks  to  them  about 
their  souls,  and  exhorts  them  to  turn  to  Jesus. 
Sometimes,  when  he  is  not  able  to  walk  about  on 
the  ice,  he  manages  to  get  other  Eskimos  to  haul 
him  about  on  a  sleigh,  so  that  he  may  see  them  and 
speak  to  them.  I  have  often  found  him  with  a  band 
of  his  fellow-countrymen  round  him,  teaching  them 
to  read  and  telling  of  the  Saviour's  love.  Molucto 
has  also  proved  a  great  help  to  me  in  the  study  of 
the  Eskimo  tongue.  Although  he  can  speak  scarcely 
a  word  of  English,  he  has  a  way  peculiar  to  himself 
of  making  one  understand  what  he  means,  so  that 
I  have  found,  and  do  find,  him  a  great  help  when 
difficulties  stand  in  my  way.  Another  remarkable 
trait  in  his  character  is  his  perseverance  in  acquiring 
knowledge.  In  this  respect  I  know  not  one  to  equal 
him.  For  hours  he  will  study  his  book,  and  he  has 
now  as  much  fluency  in  reading  as  many  of  my  young 
people  who  are  hale  and  hearty.  He  is  also  very 
grateful  to  those  who  show  him  any  little  kindness, 
and  I  think  he  loves  those  who  tell  him  of  Jesus." 

Surely  the  people,  of  whom  the  man  so  described 
is  a  representative,  are  worth  helping  ?  He  may  be 
called  a  representative,  for  perseverance  in  acquiring 
knowledge  is  quite  an  Eskimo  characteristic.  For 
instance,  a  young  woman,  named  Agnes  Anoat,  is 
one  who  learned  to  read  quite  fluently,  almost 
ntirely  by  her  own  exert  ions,  for  she  was  away  from 


CONSOLIDATION  115 

the  Little  Whale  River  while  Mr.  Peck  was  there, 
and  therefore  was  independent  of  his  help.  Here 
is  another  case  taken  from  Mr.  Peck's  diary : — 
"  Some  Eskimos  arrived  in  the  evening  .  .  .  One 
young  fellow,  whom  I  had  never  seen  before,  had 
almost  learned  to  read,  and  had  some  knowledge  of 
Christianity.  It  appeared  that  he  had  met  another 
Eskimo  who  had  done  his  best  to  instruct  him. 
Other  cases  might  be  quoted,  but  there  is  no  need 
to  do  so,  in  the  light  of  the  statement,  which  has 
already  been  made,  that  practically  all  the  Eskimos 
at  Little  Whale  River  could  now  read." 

Isolation  is  always  one  of  the  great  trials  of  a 
missionary's  life.  St.  Paul  felt  it  when  he  wrote  : 
"  Only  Luke  is  with  me.  Take  Mark  and  bring  him 
with  thee."  And  from  Apostolic  days  down  to 
the  present  experience  is  the  same.  The  spiritually- 
minded  man  needs  the  fellowship  of  the  Spirit  in 
others.  But  generally  in  these  days  of  railways, 
telegraphs  and  telephones,  though  the  missionary 
may  be  cut  off  from  the  sympathy  and  fellowship 
of  personal  contact,  he  has  aids  to  realize  communion 
in  his  regular  mail  service.  The  worker  in 
Arctic  scenes,  however,  has  not  this  comfort.  His 
isolation  is  complete,  and  if  he  has  not  learned  to 
lean  wholly  upon  his  God  for  support,  his  lot  is 
indeed  a  sad  and  hard  one. 

We  can  understand  this  to  some  extent  when  we 
read  Mr.  Peck's  words  to  Miss  Tolley,  a  warm  sup- 


u6  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

porter  of  the  Mission :  "  Your  kind  letter  of  May  6 
did  not  reach  me  until  the  6th  of  December." 
Nearly  eight  months  for  a  letter  to  reach  its  destina 
tion  !  In  these  days  of  the  rapid  movement  of 
events  dynasties  might  be  overturned,  his  friends 
might  be  dead  and  buried,  and  the  sojourner  in 
Arctic  regions  be  in  the  most  profound  ignorance  of 
all.  And  when  the  letter  does  at  last  reach  its 
destination,  then  two  months  more  have  to  go  by 
wearily  before  there  is  any  opportunity  of  sending 
an  answer.  No  wonder,  then,  that  the  ambassador 
for  Christ  feels  a  hunger  for  the  prayers  of  the  faith 
ful  at  home,  knowing  that  these  will  help  him  to  say 
with  Christ,  "  I  am  not  alone  because  the  Father  is 
with  me."  Speaking  from  the  depth  of  the  Arctic 
winter,  Mr.  Peck  exclaims  :  "It  is  indeed  a  lonely 
and  barren  spot  where  God  has  called  me  to  labour 
and  live.  But  I  must  not  fear  nor  be  discouraged. 
God  will,  no  doubt,  give  me  grace  to  toil  on,  if  I 
make  Him  my  refuge  and  strength." 

Miss  Tolley  interested  herself  in  getting  together 
and  sending  out  for  distribution  among  the  people 
many  warm  woollen  garments  and  other  useful 
things.  The  necessary  delay  in  the  delivery  of  these 
things  well  illustrates  the  isolation  of  the  Little 
Whale  River  trading  station.  It  is  not  until 
December  20,  1880,  that  the  goods  sent  off  in  the 
early  summer  of  1879  are  acknowledged  as  received. 
Then  Mr.  Peck  writes,  under  this  date,  concerning 


CONSOLIDATION  117 

these  things :  "  I  am  now  able  to  speak  of  them. 
You  could  not  have  sent  a  nicer  supply.  The  knitted 
vests  were  almost  enough  to  make  one  warm  to  look 
at  them.  Some  of  the  articles  were  almost  too 
nice  to  give  to  the  poor  Eskimos  and  Indians,  who 
spend  much  of  their  time  in  not  very  clean  tents  and 
houses.  One  poor  woman  seemed  quite  delighted 
to  receive  one  of  the  vests.  She  looked  and  looked 
as  if  such  a  nice  thing  could  never  be  intended  for 
her."  Some  of  the  things  thus  sent  were  given 
as  prizes  either  for  teaching  or  learning,  with  a  view 
to  the  encouragement  of  general  industry  and  im 
provement. 

A  peep  behind  the  scenes  is  always  of  interest. 
And  lest  the  reader  should  imagine  that  the  life  of 
a  Servant  of  God  in  these  icy  climates  is  one  of  deadly 
monotony  and  idleness,  we  can  draw  aside  the  veil 
for  a  moment  and  see  how  Mr.  Peck  describes  his 
daily  life  at  this  time : 

"  I  suppose  you  sometimes  wonder  how  I  manage 
to  live  here,  and  how  I  spend  the  long  winter  months. 
I  am  very  comfortable  considering  all  the  circum 
stances,  and  I  do  not  feel  the  cold  so  much  as  one 
might  imagine.  Having  a  snug  house  made  of  logs 
to  live  in,  I  am  able  to  keep  myself  tolerably  warm 
with  the  help  of  a  stove.  When  I  go  outside  I  wear 
a  good  thick  fur  coat,  which  keeps  out  the  cold 
wonderfully  well.  If  I  am  away  with  the  Eskimos 
and  have  to  sleep  in  their  snow  houses,  then  I  use 


n8          THE    LIFE    OF    E.    J.    PECK 

a  large  fur  blanket  in  which  I  can  sleep  with  comfort. 
"It  is  true  the  air  is  very  cold, but  it  is  so  clear 
and  bracing,  and  tends  so  much  to  invigorate  one, 
that  it  is  not  nearly  so  trying  as  might  be  supposed. 
It  is  doubtless  owing  to  this  cause  that  we  are  so 
free  from  complaints  to  which  people  in  England 
are  subject.  Again,  we  are  not  nearly  so  badly  off 
for  food  as  some  are  apt  to  think.  When  the  rein 
deer  are  numerous  we  receive  a  good  supply  of 
venison  from  the  Eskimos ;  and  besides  the  deer, 
we  are  able  to  obtain  partridges  and  hares,  so  we  are 
not  in  much  danger  of  starving,  although  we  have 
no  shops  as  in  old  England. 

"  You  may  wonder  how  I  spend  my  time,  and 
what  I  do  to  keep  my  mind  occupied.  For  one 
thing,!  can  always  find  plenty  to  do  in  the  way  of 
study,  and  for  another  I  always  have  Eskimos  near 
me  whom  I  teach.  And  besides  these  things,  I  have 
to  do  cooking,  etc.,  so  that  you  can  fully  understand 
me  when  I  say  that  I  do  not  find  time  hang  heavy 
on  my  hands. 

"  The  daily  routine  is  somewhat  as  follows : — 
I  rise  at  6  a.m.  Two  hours  until  8  a.m.  are  occu 
pied  with  devotions  and  study.  Then  comes  break 
fast.  At  9  a.m.  I  gather  the  children  together  for 
school.  After  school  I  study  the  languages.  At 
i  p.m.  I  have  my  dinner.  Exercise  takes  up  the 
afternoon  till  4  or  5  p.m.  Tea  is  the  next  event. 
After  the  tea  the  adult  Eskimos  are  called  for  Service 


CONSOLIDATION  119 

and  instruction.  Then  once  more  comes  my  own 
study  and  devotion,  and  bed  at  10  p.m." 

All  this  represents  a  full  life,  but  monotonous  when 
lived  day  by  day,  week  by  week,  year  by  year  the 
same.  But  the  monotony  is  relieved  by  the  truest 
pleasure,  viz.,  seeing  the  dawning  faith,  the  growing 
trust,  the  brighter  lives  of  those  for  whom  the  life 
is  lived.  Soul  after  soul  is  saved  ;  one  after  another 
is  set  as  a  jewel  in  the  crown  of  Christ — that  crown 
which  He  will  wear  as  soon  as  it  shines  with  the 
varied  hues  of  all  the  lustre  of  the  world  ;  not  of 
Jerusalem  or  of  Samaria  alone,  but  of  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  world — the  ice-bound  shores  of  the 
Eskimos. 

It  is  probable,  also,  that  the  law  of  compensation 
operates  in  the  life  of  every  one  who  is  willing  to 
come  under  its  influence.  Monotony  and  isolation 
tend  to  their  own  relief  for  the  cheery  disposition 
and  the  willing  servant  of  God.  The  missionary 
who  has  constant  opportunities  of  associating  with 
his  fellow-countrymen,  or  whose  life  may  be  relieved 
by  ordinary  pleasures,  as  in  the  case  of  one  resident 
in  an  Indian  station,  has  a  certain  amount  of  tempta 
tion  which  may  lead  him  to  look  upon  association 
with  natives  of  the  country  as  irksome.  But  in 
such  a  position  as  Little  Whale  River,  the  English 
man,  cut  off  from  his  natural  environment  altogether, 
will  discover  all  the  attractive  qualities  and  char 
acteristics  he  can  in  those  bv  whom  he  is  surrounded 


120  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

and  form  friendships  among  them.  And  so  Mr.  Peck 
is  able  to  look  on  the  bright  side,  and  find  plenty  to 
admire  in  the  Eskimos.  There  is  certainly  no  tone 
of  depression  in  such  a  description  as  he  gives.  "  As 
regards  the  people  themselves,  they  are  far  from 
being  the  stunted  race  they  are  generally  repre 
sented  to  be.  It  is  true  they  are  not  tall,  but  they 
are  stout  and  strongly  built.  Besides  this,  they  are 
a  remarkably  happy,  good-natured  people.  It 
would  do  you  good,  I  am  sure,  to  see  a  group  of 
them  after  they  arrive  at  Little  Whale  River.  They 
look  very  hearty  and  contented.  The  women 
present  a  strange  appearance,  with  their  children  in 
their  hoods  and  the  little  ones  peeping  out  in  such 
an  artful  manner.  I  sometimes  wonder  how  it  is 
their  children  are  not  frozen,  but,  strange  to  say, 
they  seem  to  feel  the  cold  less  than  their  parents. 
When  the  little  ones  are  able  to  walk  they  are  dressed 
in  warm  fur  clothes.  Some  of  them  are  so  fat,  and 
are  altogether  so  bulky  in  their  winter  costumes, 
that  one  could  almost  roll  them  about  like  balls  with 
little  fear  of  hurting  them." 

Then,  again,  not  only  is  the  exterior  pleasing  and 
interesting,  but  the  Eskimos  are  such  kind,  teachable 
people  that  one  seldom  does  anything  for  them 
without  being  cheered  in  soul. 

Perhaps  this  chapter  cannot  be  more  appropriately 
brought  to  a  close  than  by  giving  the  story  of  one 
whose  conversion  belongs  to  this  period.  It  is  a 


CONSOLIDATION  121 

story  which  tells  of  character,  opposition,  gratitude 
and  salvation.  Charlotte  Ooyaraluk  was,  during 
the  early  portion  of  the  missionary's  residence  at 
Little  Whale  River,  much  opposed  to  the  Gospel. 
Her  opposition  was,  curiously  enough,  largely  based 
upon  what  she  considered  to  be  an  indignity  offered 
to  woman.  It  seemed  to  her  a  most  monstrous  and 
absurd  thing  that  in  the  story  of  the  Fall  a  woman 
should  play  the  leading  part,  and  be  the  first  to  fall 
into  transgression.  And  for  a  long  time  she  seemed 
to  have  no  desire  for  spiritual  things. 

"  As  far  as  I  can  remember,"  writes  Mr.  Peck, 
"  her  heart  seemed  to  be  first  really  moved  when 
one  of  her  children  fell  dangerously  ill  and  was 
brought  very  near  to  the  gate  of  death.  I  visited 
her,  and  did  what  I  could  to  help  and  comfort  her. 

"  The  little  one  recovered,  and  now  the  mother 
began  to  listen  with  great  attention  to  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation.  She  joined  our  reading  class, 
and  showed  a  remarkable  and  dogged  perseverance  in 
acquiring  the  art  of  reading.  Her  little  book  was 
constantly  in  her  hands,  and  she  grew  quickly  in 
the  knowledge  of  God. 

"  Shortly  after  this  she  was  admitted  by  baptism 
into  Christ's  visible  Church,  and  she  lived  a  remark 
ably  consistent  life  on  the  whole." 

She  did  not  live  long,  for  a  year  or  two  later,  during 
the  missionary's  absence,  she  was  attacked  by  a 
fatal  disease.  The  officer  in  charge  of  the  Hudson's 


122  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.  PECK 

Bay  Company's  Station  kindly  visited  her,  and 
reported  that  she  had  persevered  to  the  end,  and 
had  met  death  calmly  and  joyfully,  realizing,  like 
St.  Paul,  that  "  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ  is 
far  better  "  than  the  weary  pilgrimage  and  warfare 
of  this  world. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ITINERATIONS  AND  RESULTS 

"  Many  shall  come  from  the  East  and  West, 
and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

IN  the  beginning  of  1881,  Mr.  Peck  heard  that 
there  was  some  probability  of  a  large  number 
of  Eskimos  having  come  into  the  trading  post  at 
Great  Whale  River.  This  was  about  sixty  miles 
south  of  his  own  station.  He  determined,  therefore, 
to  make  the  journey,  which  would  take  two  days, 
travelling  with  sledge  and  dogs. 

We  picture  to  ourselves,  perhaps,  the  delight  of 
such  a  trip.  The  merry  bells  tinkle  in  our  ears ;  the 
ruddy  faces  of  the  travellers  glowing  with  health 
and  happiness  appear  before  us  ;  the  smooth, 
swift,  exhilarating  motion  of  the  sledge  seems  to 
impart  itself  to  our  own  bodies ;  as  in  fancy  we  com 
pare  it  with  the  animated  scenes  that  we  have 
witnessed  among  those  who  seek  their  pleasure  in 
this  fashion  on  the  sometimes  frozen  snow  of  our 
own  well-laid,  even  roads. 

123 


124  THE  LIFE  OF  E.  J.  PECK 

But  we  must  not  allow  fancy  to  lead  us  astray  by 
making  us  think  that  Arctic  journeys  are  pleasant 
picnics.  There  are  other  things  to  be  taken  into 
account,  and  these  also  must  be  placed  in  the 
picture  as  objects  to  form  a  very  dark  background. 
Endurance  has  been  spoken  of  in  an  earlier  chapter 
as  necessary.  We  understand  this,  for  the  road 
is  not  smooth ;  the  ice  is  piled  in  great  heaps  and 
hummocks  ;  the  jolting  is  so  great  as  to  make  it  diffi 
cult  to  sit  on  the  sledge ;  occasionally  the  oscillation 
is  too  much  for  the  centre  of  gravity,  and  the  occu 
pant  is  pitched  out  without  ceremony.  Then,  again, 
the  dogs  are  not  always  amenable  to  discipline,  as  we 
have  seen;  they  think  it  right  at  a  critical  point  of 
the  journey  to  settle  some  argument  among  them 
selves  ;  they  fight,  and  become  hopelessly  entangled 
in  their  harness  ;  one  or  two  break  away  and  can 
not  be  caught  again  until  the  march  for  the  day  has 
been  brought  to  an  end  slowly  and  underdogged.  Or, 
once  more,  there  is  the  keen,  biting  wind,  often  laden 
with  snow  drift.  It  penetrates  the  thickest  fur. 
Nothing  can  keep  the  traveller  warm,  and  when  he 
arrives  at  his  destination,  no  fire,  no  prepared  food, 
no  loving  faces  welcome  him,  but  only  bare  snow 
walls.  No ;  Arctic  life  is  not  all  picnic. 

Well,  on  February  17,  1881,  Mr.  Peck  left  his  log 
home  at  Little  Whale  River  and  started  for  G.W.R., 
as  he  calls  it  in  his  diary,  but  we  must  be  careful 
not  to  interpret  the  initials  as  meaning  the  Great 


ITINERATIONS    AND    RESULTS       125 

Western  Railway.  Enterprising  as  our  companies 
may  be,  they  have  not  found  trade  amongst  the 
Eskimos  encouraging  enough  to  induce  them  to 
penetrate  their  country  with  iron  roads.  The  mis 
sionary  had  one  travelling  companion,  an  Eskimo. 
They  accomplished  only  some  twenty-two  miles  the 
first  day,  and  encamped  for  the  night.  At  least, 
this  is  what  Mr.  Peck  describes  himself  as  doing  ; 
but  it  may  be  allowable  to  object  to  his  description, 
seeing  that  the  travellers  are  up  again  soon  after 
midnight  to  resume  their  journey.  They  reached 
Great  Whale  River  the  next  day  in  spite  of  a  heavy 
head  wind,  which  made  it  almost  impossible  to  keep 
warm.  But  on  arrival  a  disappointment  awaited 
Mr.  Peck,  for  it  was  found  that  only  a  small  number 
of  people  were  encamped  there  instead  of  the  many 
he  had  expected.  He  consoled  himself,  however, 
in  a  very  characteristic  way,  for  he  says  he  was  glad 
as  a  consequence  to  be  able  to  minister  to  them 
with  so  much  the  more  individual  care. 

The  sojourn  was  a  short  one — only  five  days. 
On  February  23  the  missionary  started  again  on  a 
tour  of  discovery,  to  seek  and  save  those  who  were 
ready  to  perish  from  spiritual  cold  and  starvation. 
The  dogs  were  fresh  and  the  snow  quite  hard,  so, 
getting  away  at  6  a.m.,  a  good  day's  work  was  done 
before  night.  Then  the  two  encamped,  cooked 
their  supper,  had  prayers,  and  tried  to  make  them 
selves  snug  and  comfortable.  They  lay  down  to 


126  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.  PECK 

sleep,  but  it  was  only  a  trying  to  sleep  after  all. 
The  cold  was  so  intense,  that  to  become  insensible 
to  it  in  the  land  of  slumber  was  out  of  the  question. 
Consequently,  they  were  glad  to  make  an  early  start 
again  the  next  morning.  The  course  was  now 
diverted  seawards,  to  some  islands  some  three  or 
four  miles  from  the  coast.  There  some  snow-houses 
were  found,  and  happily  they  were  not  empty.  The 
inhabitants  gave  Mr.  Peck  and  his  companion  a 
welcome.  One  of  the  women  soon  put  oil  in  the 
lamp  in  order  to  heat  water  for  tea.  It  was  rather 
a  tardy  process,  but  the  warm  drink  was  most 
welcome  when  it  was  ready  at  last.  Next  the 
children  were  gathered  together  and  taught. 

"  Then,"  we  read  in  the  missionary's  diary,  "  I 
went  out  to  the  other  igloet  and  spoke  to  the  people 
inside.  One  of  the  men  was  just  on  the  point  of 
going  out  to  hunt  seals,  so  I  determined  to  accom 
pany  him.  After  walking  over  the  ice  for  some 
time,  we  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  a  seal  hole. 
At  the  upper  end  it  was  small,  about  the  size  of  a 
crown  piece,  but  the  lower  portion  was  larger.  The 
hunter  looked  into  the  hole  to  see  if  it  were  frozen 
over.  If  it  is  not  he  knows  that  the  seal  has  been 
blowing  there  quite  recently.  Being  satisfied  that 
there  was  some  prospect  of  harpooning  a  prize,  he 
next  arranged  his  weapons  and  sat  down  near  the 
hole  to  wait  for  his  prey. 

"  It  was  not  long  in  this  case  before  a  seal  came  to 


ITINERATIONS   AND    RESULTS       127 

the  hole,  and  the  hunter  struck  it  with  his  harpoon. 
The  hole  was  immediately  made  larger  with  the 
chisel  which  is  always  attached  to  the  shaft  of  the 
harpoon.  The  seal  was  soon  after  brought  up  on 
the  ice  and  hauled  into  the  iglo,  where  Mr.  Peck  had 
taken  up  his  abode  for  the  time  being.  Here  it  was 
at  once  cut  up,  and  pieces  were  handed  round  to  the 
Eskimos.  One  little  fellow  was  given  a  piece  of  the 
gory  blubber  and  meat,  which  he  seemed  to  enjoy 
most  wonderfully." 

This  kind  of  diet  is  said  to  be  very  heating  to  the 
system,  and  after  eating  a  good  meal  of  raw  seal's 
flesh  the  natives  are  able  to  endure  the  cold  much 
better  than  would  be  the  case  with  other  kinds  of  food. 

"  In  the  evening,"  resumes  Mr.  Peck,  "  we  sang 
hymns,  read  God's  Word,  and  I  addressed  them, 
speaking  of  Christ  raising  Lazarus  from  the  dead, 
and  pointing  out  the  power  of  the  Saviour  in  Whom 
we  are  invited  to  believe.  I  am  sure  it  would  have 
been  an  interesting  and  attractive  sight  to  any  of 
God's  people  could  they  only  have  had  a  peep  at  us 
in  our  snow-bound  dwelling  and  listened  to  our 
praises.  For  my  part  I  felt  most  happy,  and  the 
little  privation  I  endured  seemed  nothing  compared 
with  the  joy  of  doing  even  a  little  for  these  Arctic 
wanderers. 

"Before  we  retired  to  rest  one  of  the  men  blocked 
up  the  opening  which  served  for  a  doorway  with  a 
large  piece  of  snow,  and  made  a  small  hole  in  the 


128          THE   LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

upper  part  of  the  iglo,  which  acted  as  a  sort  of 
ventilator  or  air  escape.  Having  wrapped  myself 
up  in  a  deer-skin  robe  I  soon  went  to  sleep,  my 
quarters  being  far  warmer  than  one  would  imagine. 
This  is  accounted  for  by  the  number  packed  together 
in  the  small  space  of  one  tiny  house,  and  the  way 
in  which  we  were  encased  with  the  snow,  which, 
however  cold  and  windy  the  weather  may  be,  acts 
as  a  capital  screen  from  the  piercing  blast. 

"  The  next  morning  we  left  our  friends  at  about 
6  a.m.  The  wind  was  extremely  cold  and  piercing, 
but  I  managed  to  keep  myself  warm  by  running  and 
helping  to  guide  the  sledge  through  the  rough  ice. 
In  some  places  there  were  pretty  large  cracks  in  the 
ice,  but  we  managed  to  get  across  them  with  but 
little  difficulty. 

"  After  going  in  close  to  the  coast  we  made  our  way 
to  a  river,  where  we  hoped  to  see  some  more  Eskimos. 
We  were  not  disappointed,  as  we  soon  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  an  iglo,  and  of  making  the  ac 
quaintance  of  some  more  of  our  hardy  friends. 

"  After  I  had  settled  down  I  gathered  the  people 
together  and  spent  some  time  in  teaching  them 
the  Syllabic  characters  and  in  ministering  to  their 
spiritual  wants.  One  of  these  Eskimos  (a  woman) 
has  of  late  shown  a  great  desire  for  instruction,  and 
she  seems  to  be  ashamed  of  her  ignorance." 

Early  in  March  Mr.  Peck  returned  again  to  Great 
Whale  River.  "  During  my  absence,"  he  writes 


ITINERATIONS    AND    RESULTS        129 

"  two  Eskimos  had  arrived,  and  they  had  succeeded 
in  killing  three  white  bears  on  their  way  in.  These 
they  had  attacked  with  knives,  as  they  had  no  guns 
with  them.  They  seem  to  have  little  fear  in  attack 
ing  any  animal  they  may  meet  with,  providing  there 
is  some  chance  of  killing  the  game." 

And  so  through  the  month  of  March,  1881,  Mr. 
Peck  continued  to  make  Great  Whale  River  his 
headquarters,  itinerating  from  there  among  the 
encampments  and  snow  villages  of  the  wandering 
Eskimos.  We  find  him  always  hopeful,  always 
cheery,  always  encouraged  by  the  attitude  of  the 
people  to  whom  he  is  ministering.  At  one  time,  we 
read :  "  They  take  as  much  interest  as  ever  in  the 
truths  which  are  laid  before  them,  and  there  is  a 
marked  spirit  of  devotion  in  our  little  meetings. 
How  cheering  and  soul-refreshing  this  is !  Who 
would  murmur  at  solitude  or  trial  after  this  ?  " 

At  another  time,  as  he  is  making  a  night  journey 
in  his  sledge,  the  Aurora,  the  brilliant  northern 
lights,  made  the  heavens  a  wonder  to  behold.  Waves 
of  light  of  every  conceivable  colour  flitted  across 
the  clear  blue  sky,  while  the  moon,  God's  great 
night-light,  shone  brightly  upon  the  white  expanse 
of  snow  beneath.  "  Often  have  I  gazed  with  wonder 
upon  an  Arctic  night,  and  while  looking  up  have 
thought  of  the  Psalmist's  words,  *  The  heavens 
declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  sheweth 
His  handiwork.'  At  such  times  my  soul  seems  held 

9 


130          THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

in  silent  contemplation  of  the  wonderful  works  of 
God."  And  so,  whether  by  faithful  work  and  its 
results  or  by  the  glories  of  nature,  each  a  revelation 
of  the  presence  of  God,  the  solitary  messenger  is 
cheered,  and  finds  a  very  bright  side  indeed  to  his 
life. 

In  April  the  missionary  is  again  back  at  Little 
Whale  River,  settled  down  in  his  summer  work. 

In  a  former  chapter  we  saw  something  of  the 
anxious  thoughts  that  come  into  a  missionary's 
mind  concerning  his  converts  from  whom  he  has 
been  separated  some  time. 

In  this  connection  an  extract  from  Mr.  Peck's 
diary  is  of  interest.  It  shows  the  value  of  being 
able  to  read  :  "  Experience  teaches  me  that  those 
who  have  no  help  while  away  from  the  means  of 
teaching  generally  fall  back  into  their  former  state 
of  ignorance.  With  those  Eskimos  who  can  read 
God's  Word  for  themselves  I  find  a  great  difference. 
These  are  nearly  always  the  most  encouraging  and 
the  most  desirous  of  knowing  more  about  Jesus." 

There  is  one  case  of  a  man  who  was  met  on  May  9 
that  is  worthy  of  mention.  For  it  speaks  of  the 
growth  of  the  leaven  of  the  Kingdom,  imperceptible 
in  the  process,  but  perceived  in  the  result.  He  was 
present  at  a  meeting  where  "  the  people  listened  with 
attention,  and  he  showed  a  marked  desire  for 
instruction.  He  had  met  a  Christian  Eskimo  who 
was  a  convert  from  one  of  the  Moravian  Mission 


ITINERATIONS    AND    RESULTS       131 

stations  on  the  Labrador  coast.  From  him  he  had 
learned  a  simple  prayer.  He  had  been  in  the  habit 
ever  since  of  using  that  prayer  daily,  and  he  had 
still  some  knowledge  of  Christianity,  although  he 
had  been  for  years  without  an  instructor."  Surely 
here  we  find  a  man  feeling  after  God,  if  haply  he 
may  find  Him. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Peck  was  accompanied  in  his 
journeys  and  helped  in  his  work  by  a  Christian 
Eskimo  named  Thomas  Fleming.  This  man  owed 
his  conversion  to  Mrs.  McLaren,  the  wife  of  one  of 
the  officers  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  She 
had  lived  for  a  time  at  Little  Whale  River,  and  her 
influence  through  her  life  and  words  had  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  several  of  the  Eskimos.  In 
former  years  she  had  lived  at  various  Moravian 
stations  on  the  Labrador  coast,  where  she  gained 
her  knowledge  of  spiritual  things  through  the  in 
struction  of  the  Brethren  there.  She  spoke  the 
language  fluently,  and  after  she  had  learned  she 
was  ready  to  impart  to  the  heathen  by  whom  she 
was  surrounded.  Thomas  Fleming,  one  of  these, 
was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  T.  Fleming,  who  was  for 
some  years  a  colleague  of  Bishop  Horden's,  and  from 
him  he  received  his  name.  The  baptism  took  place 
at  Little  Whale  River,  which  the  missionary  visited 
one  winter  long  before  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Peck. 
The  latter  writes  concerning  this  convert : 

"  After  my  arrival  T.  Fleming  soon  learned  to 


133  THE   LIFE    OF    E.    J.    PECK 

read..  His  knowledge  of  spiritual  things  increased, 
and  he  became  in  many  respects  a  most  helpful 
man.  Several  times  he  addressed  the  Eskimos  in 
the  church,  and  when  I  was  away  he  often  carried 
on  the  services  during  my  absence. 

"  One  day  the  poor  fellow  went  out  on  the  ice  to 
catch  seals.  He  waited  long  and  patiently  at  a 
seal  hole — waited  too  long,  in  fact,  for  he  caught  a 
severe  chill.  Inflammation  of  the  lungs  set  in,  and 
he  finally  succumbed  to  this  terrible  malady,  and 
soon  he  passed  away  to  be,  we  trust,  for  ever  with 
the  Lord." 

In  May,  1881,  Mr.  Peck  had  to  journey  south  to 
Fort  George,  in  order  to  visit  the  Cree  Indians. 

At  Great  Whale  River  Mr.  Edward  Richards 
joined  him,  and  the  two  started  on  their  itinera 
tion  together,  having  Fort  George  as  their  ultimate 
goal,  on  May  18  :  "  The  weather  was  fine,  and  the 
ice  in  tolerably  good  condition,  so  we  made  good 
progress.  We  saw  several  seals  on  the  ice  basking 
in  the  sun.  This  is  a  favourable  time  for  seal  hunt 
ing  with  the  Eskimos,  and  great  numbers  are  cap 
tured  by  the  wary  men,  who  creep  up  to  them  as 
they  lie  on  the  ice  and  then  shoot  or  harpoon  them. 
But  this  is  no  easy  matter,  as  the  seals  are  remark 
ably  acute  in  hearing,  and  when  alarmed  soon  dis 
appear  through  their  holes,  by  the  side  of  which  they 
generally  lie.  . 

"  In  crawling  to  a  seal  the  hunter  must  use  the 


ITINERATIONS    AND    RESULTS       133 

greatest  caution.  An  Eskimo  generally  crawls  along 
the  ice  and  watches  the  seal  as  closely  as  possible. 
Should  the  seal  raise  its  head,  then  the  hunter  re 
mains  still ;  but  when  the  seal  indulges  in  another 
nap,  then  the  hunter  crawls  a  little  nearer  until 
the  seal  again  lifts  its  head,  and  so  on,  until 
the  hunter  is  near  enough,  and  the  unfortunate 
animal  is  shot.  Many  of  the  seals  which  we  saw 
slipped  down  through  their  holes  as  soon  as  they 
heard  the  noise  of  the  sledge  ;  others  were  some 
what  bolder,  and  waited  until  we  were  almost 
within  gun-shot  of  them. 

"  A  drive  of  about  forty  miles  brought  us  to  an 
Eskimo  encampment.  In  the  evening  a  meeting 
was  held  in  the  largest  tent,  after  which  one  man, 
in  the  course  of  conversation,  told  the  missionary 
how  his  wife  during  her  illness  in  the  summer  had 
found  the  greatest  possible  comfort  in  her  know 
ledge  of  the  Saviour,  and  in  repeating  the  few  hymns 
she  knew,  and  that  she  had  died  trusting  in  Him." 

The  missionary,  as  well  as  the  angels  in  heaven, 
rejoices  over  one  sinner  that  repents,  and  takes  new 
courage  for  persistent  preaching  of  the  Gospel. 

And  so  the  journey  continued,  with  ministering 
to  the  wanderers  here  and  there,  until  May  30. 
Then  the  travellers  decided  that  they  must  be 
making  their  way  as  quickly  as  possible  to  Fort 
George,  as  their  provisions  were  beginning  to  run 
short.  The  officer  in  charge  of  the  station  had 


134          THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

kindly  promised  to  send  up  some  provisions  from 
the  south  to  meet  them.  And  they  were  anxious 
to  fall  in  with  these  supplies.  But  the  days  that 
followed  were  not  altogether  pleasant.  We  read 
extracts  like  this  :  "  We  had  quite  an  excitement, 
for  about  midnight  our  tent  was  blown  down,  and 
as  the  snow  was  falling  we  were  in  a  predica 
ment.  I  could  not  help  indulging  in  a  good  laugh 
in  spite  of  the  cold.  Edward  Richards  managed 
somehow  to  dress  and  crawl  out  from  underneath 
his  stiff,  frozen  casement,  and  we  succeeded  in  getting 
our  frail  tabernacle  up  again." 

Or,  again,  after  his  companion  had  gone  out  to 
look  for  the  expected  Indians  who  were  to  bring 
their  supplies  from  Fort  George,  we  read  the  not 
encouraging  words :  "  Edward  Richards  returned 
to-day.  The  news  he  brought  is  not  at  all  cheer 
ing.  There  were  no  Indians,  and  the  coast  is  blocked 
with  ice,  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall  find  something 
to  eat.  We  must  rest  in  God  and  not  be  afraid.*' 
Three  days  later  Mr.  Richards  succeeded  in  killing 
a  duck,  "  so  we  are  provided  for  at  least  another 
meal.  I  have  a  few  provisions  left,  but  I  wish  to 
keep  them  until  the  last  extremity." 

At  last,  on  June  7,  the  long  looked  for  Indians 
arrived.  They  had  been  delayed,  as  the  ice  had 
prevented  them  bringing  in  their  canoes.  On  that 
day  we  find  the  note :  "  We  shall  (D.V.)  start  to 
morrow  and  go  some  distance  inland,  and  then 


ITINERATIONS    AND    RESULTS        135 

journey  to  the  south,  making  the  best  of  our  way 
over  the  lakes  and  land  until  we  arrive  at  some  place 
where  we  can  again  go  down  to  the  coast,  which,  we 
hope,  will  be  clear  of  ice  by  the  time  we  arrive." 

Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  trials  to  dwellers  in 
Arctic  scenes  is  the  bare  expanse  of  land  or  ice,  with 
no  sign  of  trees  or  verdure.    We  can  sympathize 
to  some  extent  when  we  read  of  the  joy  of  the 
travellers  coming  to  some  lakes  which  were  free 
of  ice  and  were  surrounded  with  trees.     "  There 
was  no  great  beauty  about  them,  but   to  my  eyes 
the  scenery  was  charming,  for  barren  rocks  and  ice 
had  formed  our  landscape  for  months."     It  was 
not  until  June  13  that  the  coast  was  again  reached. 
"  We  were  surprised  to  find  large  quantities  of  ice 
blocking  our  way,  but  we  determined  to  try  and 
push  through.     It  was  rather  exciting  work,  as  at 
times  the  passage  was  very  narrow,  and  large  boulders 
of  ice  rose  up  on  each  side,  which  would  soon  have 
crushed  our  frail  craft  had  we  come  into  collision 
with  them." 

On  June  16  Fort  George  was  at  length  reached. 
Mr.  Peck  made  a  sojourn  here  of  more  than  a  month. 
A  site  for  a  church  was  cleared  with  the  help  of  the 
Indians.  Two  adults  were  baptized.  "  One  of 
these  had  for  a  considerable  time  followed  Satan  in 
conjuring  and  other  evils.  He  at  last  began  to  try 
and  learn,  and  to  give  heed  to  the  things  of  God. 
When  questioned,  his  answers  were  very  satisfactory, 


136          THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

and  he  has  for  some  time  been  in  the  habit  of  pray 
ing  to  God.  These  are  the  first  adult  Indians  I  have 
been  privileged  to  baptize.  May  they  continue  to 
cleave  to  Jesus,  even  to  the  end." 

Other  causes  for  satisfaction  and  encouragement 
there  were.  Inquirers  came  forward  from  among 
the  Indians,  giving  hope  of  increase  in  the  future. 
And  there  was  a  prospect  of  the  continuance  of  the 
work  after  the  missionaries  should  have  left. 

Mr.  Peck  writes  :  "  The  gentleman  in  charge  will 
continue  to  do  what  he  can  for  the  English-speaking 
people.  There  are  also  three  helpers  as  regards  the 
Indians,  all  of  them  being  good  speakers  in  the 
Indian  tongue  and  able  to  read  the  Indian  books ; 
and  more  than  this,  they  all,  I  believe,  know  Jesus 
and  try  to  serve  Him." 

The  second  chapter  of  this  book  told  of  the  con 
tempt  of  the  Indian  for  the  Eskimo.  The  Jew 
despises  the  Gentile ;  the  Greek  the  barbarian  ; 
the  Brahmin  the  Chuhra.  But  in  Christ  the  walls 
of  separation  are  broken  down.  We  realize  this 
when  Mr.  Peck  again  tells  us,  on  July  22  :  "  Before 
I  left  I  got  all  the  Indians  and  Eskimos  together. 
Each  party  sang  a  hymn.  I  then  asked  them  to 
kneel  down,  and  prayed  for  them  all. 

"  What  a  sight  was  this !  Some  years  ago  these 
people  were  the  most  deadly  enemies — now  they  can 
praise  God  together.  After  leaving  them  we  paddled 
a  long  distance,  and  then  encamped  for  the  night." 


ITINERATIONS    AND    RESULTS        137 

After  this,  the  only  entry  in  the  diary  for  this 
period  is  :  "  The  journey  to  Whale  River  was  ac 
complished  quickly  and  safely." 

We  might  go  on  dwelling  upon  details  of  work 
and  itineration,  but  it  is  better  here,  probably,  to 
endeavour  to  have  a  complete  picture  before  us  of 
the  result  of  the  labours  into  which  we  have  had 
some  insight.  There  is  an  interesting  summary 
from  Mr.  Peck's  own  hand,  dated  July  31,  1882, 
which  will  probably  give  us  what  we  require,  and 
show  clearly  the  establishment  of  the  living  Church 
of  Christ. 

"  As  nearly  all  the  Eskimos  came  to  trade  at 
Little  Whale  River,  instead  of  going  to  both  Great 
Whale  River  and  Little  Whale  River  as  in  previous 
years,  I  was  able  to  minister  to  them  far  more 
efficiently  than  before.  The  meetings  in  the  iron 
church  have  been  well  attended,  and  the  people  are 
now  becoming  somewhat  used  to  a  regular  place  of 
worship,  although  with  some  of  the  wild  heathen 
Eskimos  one  has  to  use  some  tact  to  keep  them 
quiet  and  orderly. 

"They  seem  to  think  the  building  so  wonderful, 
and  the  meeting  of  so  many  of  their  fellow-country 
men  appears  to  them  so  novel,  that  they  often  give 
vent  to  their  feelings  in  quite  a  demonstrative  man 
ner.  I  find  all  our  pupils,  as  usual,  very  ready  to 
listen  to  a  friendly  word  when  visited  in  their  snow- 
houses.  It  is  true  an  Eskimo  iglo  is  not  a  very 


138          THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.     PECK 

inviting   place.     What   with   seal's   flesh,    blubber, 
the  awful  smell,  and  the  continual  uproar  of  dogs 
and  children,  one's  quarters  are  certainly  not  to  be 
envied.     On  the  other  hand,  the  kindly  spirit  of 
the   people,   their  desire   for   instruction,    and   the 
prospect    of   leading    them    to    life    eternal,    these 
things  surely  ought  to  make  amends  for  all.     The 
classes  for  children  and  adults  have  been  very  well 
attended.     Several  of  the  children  can  now  read 
their  books,  and  can  give  very  fair  answers  when 
atechized   on   the  leading  truths   of  Christianity. 
As  regards  the  adults,  some  of  the  younger  members 
have  learned  to  read  very  well,  but  several  of  the 
elderly  people  do  not  seem  to  make  much  head 
way.     They  often  deplore  their  ignorance,  and  some 
tell  me,  in  their  own  simple  style  of  speech,  that 
because   their  heads  are   thicker  than  the  young 
people's  therefore  they  cannot  learn  like  them,  etc., 
etc.     The  number  of  baptisms  during  the  year  is 
another  bright,  cheery  point  which  contrasts  favour 
ably   with   last   year.     There   have   been   nineteen 
adult  and  some  ten  infant  baptisms  since  sending 
last  year's  report.     The  number  of  adult  Eskimos 
now  baptized  is  sixty-four,  and  that  of  the  children 
forty,  to  which  may  be  added  the  forty  candidates 
for  baptism,  making  the  total  of  Eskimo  Christian 
adherents    144.     This   doubtless   is   but    "  a   little 
flock  "  ;   let  us  pray  the  Lord  to  increase  it.     Let 
us  ask  Him  to  add  many  living  members  to  the 


ITINERATIONS   AND   RESULTS        139 

Church  amongst  the  Eskimos.  Such  members  we 
want,  and  for  such  we  must  toil  and  pray. 

"As  regards  literary  work,  I  have  spent  a  goodly 
portion  of  my  time  in  the  composition  of  an  Eskimo 
grammar.  This  will  take  time  yet  to  finish  ;  but 
when  completed  we  hope  it  may  prove  useful,  and 
be  found  simple. 

"  I  am  glad  to  say  that  the  native  teachers  con 
tinue  to  do  good  work,  and  we  have  been  able  to 
add  one  to  the  number  since  last  year.  One  of 
the  heathen  Eskimos  has  also  done  much  to  spread 
the  Gospel  amongst  his  fellow-countrymen.  This 
man  (who  is  named  Titikgak)  heard  the  Gospel 
some  three  years  ago ;  he  then  returned  to  his 
hunting-grounds,  which  are  about  eight  hundred 
miles  from  Little  Whale  River,  and  through  his 
instrumentality  many  of  the  heathen  Eskimos  are 
leaving  their  pagan  customs  and  are  desirous  of 
instruction.  This  fact,  I  need  hardly  say,  is  a 
source  of  much  joy  and  comfort  to  one's  soul." 

This  review  then  goes  on  to  speak  of  another  visit 
paid  to  Fort  George  and  of  the  conditions  of  the 
Indians. 


T 


CHAPTER  VIII 

GATHERING  FRUIT — UNGAVA 
"  My  sheep  hear  My  voice." 

HE  last  chapter  closed  with  Mr.  Peck's  sum 
mary  of  a  portion  of  his  work.  We  were  told 
that  there  were  sixty-four  baptized  adult  Eskimos. 
We  wish  to  know  more  about  these.  What  kind 
of  Christians  were  they  ?  Were  they  true  followers 
of  Christ  ?  or  were  they  what  the  scoffer  some 
times  calls  "  bread-and-butter  "  Christians  ? 

Well,  some  have  already  been  brought  incidentally 
into  the  narrative  that  has  gone  before.  The  lives 
of  two  or  three  more  may  serve  as  examples  to  prove 
that  now,  as  1,900  years  ago,  the  Gospel  is  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation. 

"Apakutsuk  was  a  man  who  came  to  the  station 
an  utterly  ignorant  heathen.  He  was  suffering 
from  some  complaint  which  was  gradually  dragging 
him  down  to  the  grave.  He  was  naturally  an 
intelligent  man,  and  soon  learned  to  read,  and  very 
readily  grasped  the  meaning  of  Scripture  truth. 

"  The  disease  with  which  he  was  afflicted  increased, 

140 


GATHERING    FRUIT  141 

and  presently  focussed  itself  in  his  hip ;  he  became 
lame,  and  was  obliged  to  use  a  rudely-fashioned 
crutch  to  move  about  at  all. 

"  Poor  Apakutsuk  !  His  sufferings  abounded,  but 
so  also  did  God's  grace ;  and  with  much  joy  I 
was  able  to  formally  receive  him  into  Christ's 
flock. 

"  He  was  baptized,  and  was  in  such  wonderful 
earnestness  for  the  faith  in  his  Saviour,  that  he 
began  to  preach  Him  to  his  own  people  who  came 
to  the  station. 

"  On  every  hand  he  was  listened  to  with  the  deepest 
attention,  and  some  of  those  who  heard  his  earnest 
appeals  were  much  impressed. 

"  The  ravages  of  disease  at  last  wore  him  to  a 
shadow.  I  helped  him  as  far  as  lay  in  my  power, 
giving  him  such  nourishments  from  our  limited 
stock  of  provisions  as  he  could  take.  But  the 
Lord  needed  His  ransomed  one,  and  the  call  came, 
'  Come  Home  ! ' 

"  One  morning  I  crept  into  his  little  house.  His 
wife  was  weeping,  and  as  I  entered  she  pointed  to 
the  form  of  her  husband,  cold  in  death.  The  Spirit 
had  returned  to  Him  who  gave  it. 

"  We  tried  to  give  this  dear  saint  in  God  Christian 
burial.  We  made  a  coffin  out  of  some  rough  boxes, 
and  a  grave  was  dug. 

"  How  did  we  dig  it,  since  the  sandy  soil  was 
frozen  for  many  feet  down  ?  The  Eskimos,  with 


142  THE   LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

some  bars  of  iron  and  one  or  two  rough  spades, 
literally  chiselled  out  a  space  for  the  dead. 

"  We  then  lowered  the  body  into  its  icy  tomb, 
and  so  bitter  and  piercing  was  the  wind,  that  all 
I  could  do  was  to  ask  the  sorrowing  relatives  to 
kneel  down  while  I  offered  up  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
and  afterwards  spoke  to  them  of  Him  who  by  His 
death  and  resurrection  has  plucked  out  the  sting 
of  death. 

"  As  I  looked  upon  the  gloomy  waste  around,  and 
that  icy  tomb,  with  the  little  band  of  sorrowing 
ones  near  me,  I  thought  of  the  joy  of  the  ransomed 
soul  which  had  escaped  the  chill  horrors  of  the  body. 
We  had  sown  the  silent  form,  in  corruption,  to  be 
presently  raised  in  incorruption.  It  was  sown  in 
weakness,  to  be  raised  in  power. 

"  Oh  what  mighty,  far-reaching  issues  depend  upon 
preaching  the  full  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  ! 

"  How  earnest  we  ought  to  be  in  giving  to  the 
nations  that  wonderful  message  which  can  alone 
lead  men's  souls  to  God,  and  bring  life  and  immortal 
ity  to  light  through  the  story  of  a  Saviour's  love  !  " 

We  have  previously  had  some  account  of  a  lad 
who  lived  in  Mr.  Peck's  hut,  and  who  as  a  result 
was  brought  to  be  a  disciple  of  Christ.  The  history 
of  another  might  also  here  be  given  as  being  both 
interesting  in  itself  and  typical  of  the  vicissitudes 
of  Arctic  life. 

"  Joseph  Ratynrok  was  one  of  the  lads,"   the 


GATHERING    FRUIT  143 

journals  tell  us,  "  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of  keeping 
in  my  little  house  and  instructing  in  the  Word  of 
God.  His  parents  were  both  very  respectable  and 
intelligent.  His  mother  died  during  the  early  years 
of  my  sojourn  in  Little  Whale  River. 

"  His  father  married  again,  and  Joseph,  with  his 
father,  step-mother,  and  brothers,  left  the  station. 

"  Their  after  experiences  were  terrible.  Wandering 
over  the  frozen  sea,  never  meeting  with  any  who 
could  help  them,  and  finding  no  game  of  any  kind, 
hunger  pressed  them  hard. 

"  Weak  and  faint  and  despairing,  delirious 
doubtless  with  starvation,  the  poor  mother  at  last 
sank  down  by  the  side  of  a  rock,  and  taking  her 
infant  child  from  the  hood  (in  which  Eskimo 
women  always  carry  their  babes)  she  strangled  it, 
and  then  laid  herself  down  to  die. 

"  The  father,  with  the  three  remaining  children, 
when  all  was  over,  pressed  on.  Thinking,  in  their 
desperate  state,  that  by  crossing  over  a  bight  in 
the  coast  they  might  meet  with  some  of  their 
fellow-countrymen,  they  ventured  out  upon  what 
proved  to  be  unsafe  ice. 

"  One  by  one  they  broke  through  the  icy  sheet 
and  perished.  Joseph  alone  remained. 

"  Retracing  his  steps  with  a  dogged  persever 
ance,  he  travelled  on  by  the  longer  route.  He  fell 
in  at  last  with  a  wandering  band  of  Eskimos,  but 
only  just  in  time,  for  he  was  ill  and  spent. 


144  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

"  He  was  tenderly  cared  for,  and  was  at  last 
brought  by  his  succourers  into  Little  Whale  River. 
It  was  then  that  I  took  the  poor  boy,  now  so  abso 
lutely  orphaned,  and  kept  him  with  me. 

"  Being  a  lad  of  much  natural  intelligence  he 
soon  learned  to  read,  and  in  a  clear  and  decided 
way  grasped  the  great  truths  of  the  Christian  faith. 
He  was  also  of  much  use  to  me  in  preparing  my 
addresses,  etc.,  and  some  of  his  sayings  still  help 
me  greatly  in  speaking  to  the  people. 

"  The  poor  lad  suffered  from  a  disease  of  the  knee 
joint,  and  hoping  that  he  might  receive  permanent 
benefit  from  being  under  proper  medical  treatment, 
he  was  sent  to  Moose. 

"  Here,  however,  the  terrible  disease  developed. 
Then  rapid  consumption  set  in,  and  it  was  evident 
that  poor  Joseph  was  dying.  My  friend,  the  Rev. 
H.  Nevitt,  was  then  at  Moose,  and  as  Joseph  knew 
something  of  the  English  language  he  was  able  to 
understand  some  at  least  of  the  comforting  truths 
spoken  to  him. 

"  From  the  tesitmony  of  Mr.  Nevitt,  it  is  evident 
that  the  lad  died  fully  trusting  in  the  Saviour." 

John  Angatansage  was  an  instance  of  the  power 
of  Christ  to  save  the  very  vilest  of  sinners  and  to 
cast  out  devils.  "  When  a  heathen  he  had  been  a 
murderer  of  the  deepest  type.  He  had  not  only 
killed  an  enemy  of  his,  whom  he  had  hunted  about 
for  years,  but  when  he  had  speared  his  wretched 


GATHERING    FRUIT  145 

victim  he  turned  upon  the  wife  and  children,  and 
although  the  poor  wife  pleaded  most  pitifully 
for  mercy  for  herself  and  her  dear  little  ones,  he 
would  not  listen,  but  murdered  them  all. 

"  This  incarnate  fiend  was  dreaded  and  loathed 
for  years  by  his  own  countrymen,  and  was,  as  he 
justly  deserved  to  be,  morally  excommunicated  by 
the  whole  community. 

"  After  my  arrival  at  Little  Whale  River,  and 
when  the  Eskimos  came  together  to  hear  the  Word 
of  God,  he  inquired  what  these  things  meant,  and 
was  told  in  reply  that  a  white  man  had  come 
to  tell  them  of  one  named  Jesus,  who  died  for 
sinners. 

"  Fearing  to  come  near  me,  he  inquired  through 
my  old  friend  and  helper,  John  Molucto,  if  such  a 
wretch  as  he  would  be  allowed  to  listen  to  the 
Gospel. 

"  I  sent  him  word  that  if  he  was  really  sorry  for 
his  awful  deeds,  and  wished  to  hear  the  glad  tidings 
of  Jesus,  he  might  certainly  come. 

"  Come  he  did,  time  after  time,  and  began  to 
inquire  most  earnestly  regarding  heavenly  things. 
His  hard  heart  was  softened,  and  he  confessed, 
with  the  most  abject  sorrow,  his  awful  sin,  and 
declared  solemnly — and  oh,  how  truly  ! — that  before 
he  had  seen  the  Gospel  light,  while  he  was  in  heathen 
darkness,  he  had  been  moved  by  Satan  to  kill  and 
destroy. 

10 


146  THE   LIFE    OF    E.    J.    PECK 

"  Believing  this  man  to  be  truly  penitent,  I 
baptized  him,  after  a  long  probation. 

"  His  life  and  conversation  ever  after  exhibited 
the  mighty  change  which  God's  pardoning  grace  had 
wrought  in  his  heart." 

Another  case  will  tell  of  the  power  of  Christ  to 
enable  a  man  to  meet  pain  and  physical  trial  in  his 
own  life. 

Henry  Oochungwak  was  a  mighty  hunter,  and  a 
man  of  much  force  of  character  and  intelligence. 
He  was  looked  up  to  by  the  other  Eskimos,  and  was 
generally  recognized  as  a  chief  among  them. 

"My  old  friend  and  helper,  John  Molucto," 
writes  Mr.  Peck,  "  being  on  the  most  friendly  terms 
with  Oochungwak,  often  spoke  to  him  regarding  the 
wonderful  tidings  of  a  Saviour's  love.  The  result 
was  that  he,  while  at  the  station,  began  to 
attend  our  meetings,  and  his  inquiries  showed 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  moving  him  con 
siderably. 

"  Poor  fellow !  How  fiercely  was  his  faith  to  be 
tried  !  Satan  desired  to  sift  him  like  wheat.  While 
out  upon  the  frozen  seas  an  old  and  painful  com 
plaint  began  again  to  develop  itself  in  him,  and  his 
suffering  became  most  intense. 

"It  is  the  custom  of  the  Eskimos,  when  they 
suppose  that  they  are  suffering  from  an  incurable 
complaint,  either  to  commit  suicide  or  get  a  neigh 
bour  to  kill  them. 


GATHERING    FRUIT  147 

"  Suffering  as  this  poor  fellow  was,  he  asked  a 
man  named  Akpahataluk  to  strangle  him,  but  the 
man  refused  to  do  it.  News  of  this  was  brought 
into  the  station,  and  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Post  (D.  Gillies,  Esq.)  and  I  went 
off  on  the  frozen  sea  to  visit  the  sufferer. 

"  When  the  awfulness  of  the  deed  which  he  had 
contemplated  was  explained  to  him,  his  sorrow  was 
most  acute.  Great  scalding  tears  rolled  down  his 
pain-worn  face  as  I  reasoned  with  him,  and  re 
minded  him  of  the  strength  and  grace  of  Jesus  to 
meet  his  deepest  need. 

"  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Gillies  he  was  taken 
to  the  station  and  cared  for.  So  I  had  constant 
opportunities  of  speaking  to  him  of  divine  things. 

"  John  Molucto  also  spoke  tc  him  most  lovingly, 
and  through  his  few  remaining  days,  before  he 
finally  succumbed  to  the  fell  disease  that  killed 
him,  his  soul  was  cheered  and  solaced,  I  believe, 
by  the  comforting,  sustaining  presence  of  Jesus." 

These  few  short  narratives  of  personal  life  help 
the  reader  to  generalize  and  to  picture  with  con 
siderable  truth  not  only  the  success  of  the  Gospel 
when  faithfully  preached  and  lived,  but  also  the 
character  of  the  Eskimos,  the  hardships  they  have 
to  endure  and  the  dangers  to  brave.  Others  might 
have  been  given,  varying  slightly  according  to  the 
characters  of  the  individuals  who  are  brought  into 
the  great  drag-net  of  Christianity  and  the  circum- 


148          THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

stances  of  their  lives.  Sometimes  they  are  converts 
from  heathenism ;  sometimes  the  children  of  converts, 
baptized  in  infancy,  and  growing  up  in  the  calm  atmo 
sphere  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  We  read  in  one  place  of 
a  little  girl :  "I  spoke  to  her  many  times  of  the 
Saviour's  love,  and  I  was  constantly  encouraged  by 
the  beauty  and  consistency  of  her  Christian  life 
when  once  she  had  yielded  herself  to  Jesus." 

In  another  case  we  find  a  bright,  intelligent  man, 
born  Christian,  who  not  only  learns  to  read  the  little 
books  printed  in  the  Syllabic  character,  but  actually 
masters  the  Moravian  New  Testament  in  Roman 
type.  We  must  not  suppose  that  perfection  is 
attained  all  at  once,  that  the  missionary  never  has 
to  lament  a  fall  on  the  part  of  one  who  has  given 
himself  to  God,  or  a  yielding  to  old  temptations 
amid  the  surroundings  of  the  new  life.  English 
Christians  after  many  hundreds  of  years  of  the 
Gospel  can  still  find  flaws  in  their  own  morals. 
Then  it  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at  if  the  Eskimo 
Christian  of  yesterday  causes  his  teacher  sometimes 
moments  of  anxiety  and  hours  of  prayer.  But 
enough  has  been  said  to  show  that  thus  far  work 
among  the  Eskimos  was  full  of  joy  and  encourage 
ment,  and  spoke  of  the  truth  of  the  promise,  '  I 
will  not  leave  you  comfortless  ;  I  will  come  unto 
you."  "  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world." 

And  now,  having  given  these  individual  introduc- 


UNGAVA  149 

tions,  the  first  seven  years  of  Mr.  Peck's  missionary 
life  must  be  drawn  to  a  close. 

In  December,  1882,  he  was  contemplating  a  visit 
to  England  in  the  following  summer. 

After  so  many  years  he  had  undoubtedly  earned 
his  rest  and  a  return  to  civilization  for  a  season. 
But  nevertheless  he  was  willing  to  forego  his  own 
pleasure  and  refreshment  for  the  sake  of  those  to 
whom  he  had  been  sent.  Rather  more  than  a  year 
later,  on  January  3,  1884,  he  again  wrote  to  Miss 
Tolley :  "  You  will  doubtless  have  heard  by  the  time 
you  receive  this  the  reason  of  my  not  having  gone 
to  England  as  I  intended.  We  were  anxious  to  see 
some  heathen  Eskimos  living  at  Ungava  Bay,  and 
not  being  able  to  push  north  on  account  of  the 
very  severe  weather,  we  were  obliged  to  give  up 
the  journey.  Thinking  then  that  there  might  be 
a  more  favourable  opportunity  the  following  year, 
I  determined  to  remain  and  make  another  trial." 

It  is  easy  to  sit  at  one's  writing-table  and  make 
extracts  of  this  kind  from  Mr.  Peck's  letters  and 
diaries  ;  it  is  easier  for  the  reader  to  sit  in  his 
easy  chair  and  read  them.  It  needs,  however,  some 
effort  on  the  part  of  both  writer  and  reader  to 
appreciate,  or  in  any  degree  realize,  the  missionary's 
position  and  work.  Here  he  was  voluntarily 
giving  up  his  hard-earned  leave.  And  none  but 
the  exile  knows  what  home-hunger  is.  He  was 
also  contemplating  a  most  difficult  and  adventurous 


150  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

journey  to  Ungava,  over  a  country  rarely,  if  ever, 
traversed  by  an  Englishman  before.  The  unknown 
only  lay  before  him  in  this  deserted,  icy  road  of 
some  700  or  800  miles.  And  as  the  apostolic  party 
of  old  "  assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia ;  but  the 
Spirit  suffered  them  not."  So  it  might  also  have 
been  written  of  him.  No  less  than  three  times  did 
Mr.  Peck  fail  to  accomplish  this  journey.  Three 
times,  from  some  cause  or  another,  he  was  driven 
back.  His  first  attempt  has  already  been  mentioned 
as  having  taken  place  in  the  summer  of  1882.  "  In 
the  following  summer,"  he  writes,  "  we  started 
again,  but  could  not  force  our  way  along  the  coast 
on  account  of  the  vast  piles  of  ice  which  lay  in  our 
track,  and  we  were  again  with  reluctance  obliged 
to  postpone  our  arduous  undertaking. 

"  In  the  winter  of  the  same  year  we  tried  once  more 
with  sledge  and  dogs,  thinking  to  cross  the  Labrador 
Peninsula  by  this  means.  We  were  not,  of  course, 
able  to  carry  a  large  supply  of  provisions,  as  the 
load  would  have  been  too  heavy ;  but  we  expected 
to  meet  with  reindeer  and  other  animals  which 
sometimes  frequent  those  parts.  In  this,  however, 
we  were  disappointed.  For  eleven  days  we  struggled 
on  over  the  frozen  waste,  but  not  a  vestige  of 
animal  life  could  be  seen.  We  were,  therefore, 
obliged  with  heavy  heart  to  retrace  our  steps  or 
perish  by  starvation.  The  next  attempt,  through 
God's  help  and  guidance,  proved  successful,  and 


UNGAVA  151 

great  was  our  joy  when  at  last  Ungava  was  reached, 
and  our  trials  and  disappointments  were  at  an  end." 

The  start  was  made  on  July  17,  1884.  The  party 
consisted  of  Mr.  Peck  himself  and  four  Indians  with 
a  canoe.  It  was  about  8  a.m.  when  they  commenced 
their  journey.  At  first  they  took  the  coast  line 
of  the  open  sea  from  Little  Whale  River  to  Rich 
mond  Gulf  on  the  north.  They  entered  the  latter 
about  i  p.m.  Here  they  found  themselves  off  a 
dangerous,  rocky  shore.  Fish  are  plentiful  in  this 
region,  especially  in  the  summer  and  autumn.  So 
the  travellers  were  able  to  some  extent  to  husband 
their  provisions — an  important  matter  with  a  long 
journey  ahead,  and  the  possibility  of  carrying 
nothing  but  light  loads.  When  in  the  Gulf  the  wind 
freshened  and  a  sea  sprang  up,  and  as  the  shore 
was  inhospitable  and  impossible  of  effecting  a 
landing  in  heavy  breakers,  they  determined  on 
camping  for  the  night  while  the  opportunity  offered 
itself. 

The  next  day  the  wind  was  fair,  and  they  made 
an  early  start.  The  sea  was  running  high,  and  was 
almost  too  much  for  the  frail  craft ;  but  the  Indians, 
as  usual,  handled  her  admirably,  and  they  were  able 
to  accomplish  the  whole  distance,  30  miles,  across 
the  southern  portion  of  the  Gulf  without  any 
mishap.  About  2  p.m.  they  entered  a  small  river, 
but  close  to  its  mouth  an  obstacle  faced  them  in 
the  shape  of  a  large  rapid  which  they  were  unable 


152  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

to  surmount.  So  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  pack 
up  bag  and  baggage,  shoulder  the  loads,  and  carry 
them  for  more  than  a  mile.  After  this  a  halt  was 
called,  and  the  travellers  encamped  for  the  night. 
They  could  hardly  say,  however,  with  the  Psalmist, 
"  I  will  lay  me  down  in  peace  and  take  my  rest," 
for  the  mosquitoes  and  other  insects  of  torture  were 
quite  unbearable. 

How  glad  one  is  on  the  morrow  of  a  bad  night  in 
camp  to  say  farewell  to  the  camping  ground — a 
dirty-smelling  camp,  a  noisy  camp,  an  insect- 
pestered  camp,  a  low-lying  damp  camp.  These  are 
the  lot  of  the  pilgrim  who  travels  through  strange 
lands.  He  tosses  and  turns  in  his  not  too 
luxurious  bed  and  waits  for  the  day,  thankful 
when  it  comes  to  make  a  new  start,  hoping  for  better 
things  when  next  he  pitches  his  tent  a  day's  march 
nearer  home.  Such,  doubtless,  were  the  feelings  of 
this  little  party  when  we  read  that  in  the  morning, 
"  We  passed  from  the  river  into  a  small  chain  of 
lakes  lying  about  east  by  north.  We  had  a  hard 
day's  work  carrying  our  loads  from  lake  to  lake, 
or  in  other  words,  making  portages.  The  country 
was  hilly,  and  in  some  places  even  mountainous. 
Partridges  were  numerous  near  the  shores  of  the 
lakes,  and  we  saw  several  deer  tracks  during  the 
day." 

Each  day  closed  with  prayer  and  Bible  reading, 
with  a  simple  exposition  of  the  passage  read.  On 


UNGAVA  153 

Sunday  we  find  the  note,  "  We  rested  according  to 
the  commandment." 

Those  who  are  marching  day  after  day  appreciate 
the  rest  of  the  seventh  day  more,  perhaps,  than  any 
one  else.  They  understand  what  is  beyond  the 
comprehension  of  the  present-day  pleasure-  seeker — 
that  the  dull  old  Sabbath  is  a  God-given  institution. 

Probably  the  best  way  to  give  an  adequate 
impression  of  this  journey  will  be  to  transcribe 
some  of  Mr.  Peck's  notes,  merely  inserting  a  few 
words  to  make  the  sentences  complete  for  publica 
tion  : — 

"  Monday,  July  21. — We  had  another  heavy  day's 
work  carrying  our  canoe  and  baggage  from  lake 
to  lake. 

"  Tuesday,  July  22. — We  passed  through  another 
chain  of  lakes  lying  about  east  by  north,  then  we 
camped  for  the  night.  We  shot  several  partridges 
during  the  day,  and  caught  some  fine  white  fish  and 
trout  in  the  lake.  The  country  was  hilly,  and 
vegetation  scanty. 

"  Wednesday,  July  23. — We  made  our  long  portage, 
and  then  passed  into  Clear  Water  Lake.  This  is  a 
fine,  deep  lake,  about  forty  miles  in  breadth  and 
fifty  long.  True  to  its  name,  the  water  is  surprisingly 
fresh  and  clear.  As  the  wind  was  fair  we  pushed 
out  into  the  lake,  and  had  made  some  thirty  miles 
when  a  heavy  storm  came  on.  We  then  made  the 
best  of  our  way  to  a  large  island  which  was  for- 


154  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

tunately  close  at  hand,  and  camped  for  the  night. 
We  saw  some  reindeer  on  the  island,  but  did  not 
succeed  in  shooting  any.  The  wood  growing  on  the 
island  is  rather  large,  but  not  fit  for  building  purposes. 
The  storm  continued  the  next  day,  making 
it  impossible  for  the  travellers  to  venture  in  their 
canoe  ;  but  on  "  Friday,  July  25,  the  wind  mode 
rated,  though  it  is  still  heavy.  We  ventured, 
however,  to  cross  from  the  island  to  the  northern 
shore  of  the  lake.  Our  little  craft  rode  the  sea 
admirably  under  the  skilful  guidance  of  our  steers 
man.  We  reached  the  shore,  thank  God,  safely, 
and  then  passed  into  a  small  river.  We  made  a 
few  portages,  and  then  camped.  The  country  about 
here  is  much  lower  than  that  hitherto  seen.  We 
have  been  more  or  less  troubled  with  mosquitoes 
ever  since  leaving  Little  Whale  River.  They  some 
times  attack  us  in  great  force,  and  sting  in  a  most 
unmerciful  manner. 

"  Saturday,  July  26. — Made  a  few  portages,  and 
then  passed  into  Seal  Lake.  This  is  about  seventy 
miles  long,  but  varies  much  in  breadth.  In  the 
middle  it  is  quite  narrow,  but  in  other  places  it 
measures  perhaps  from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  in 
width.  It  is  quite  studded  with  islands  which  are 
the  favourite  haunts  of  reindeer,  especially  in  the 
winter  months.  The  wind  was  fair  and  strong, 
so  we  made  a  good  run  and  then  camped.  We  saw 
a  seal,  some  gulls,  and  a  few  ducks  during  the  day. 


UNGAVA  155 

"  Sunday,  July  27. — We  rested  during  the  day  and 
had  a  pleasant  reading  and  conversation.  There  is 
something  appalling  and  solemn  in  passing  through 
these  desolate  regions.  Day  after  day  one  looks 
upon  the  same  little  band  and  hears  the  same  few 
voices.  How  well  to  look  upward  to  Jesus  who  sits 
upon  the  throne,  and  to  remember  that  one  is  never 
really  alone  if  we  are  His  and  He  is  ours. 

"  Monday,  July  28. — We  reached  the  south-eastern 
boundary  of  the  lake,  and  then  made  portage  into 
a  small  river. 

"  Tuesday,  July  29. — We  passed  from  the  river 
into  a  rather  large  lake,  the  river  from  which  con 
tinues  its  course  to  Fort  Chimo.  The  country  is 
very  mountainous.  Trees  and  willows  grow  by  the 
banks  of  the  rivers  and  lakes.  Partridges  are  very 
numerous.  We  frequently  saw  deer  tracks  from  two 
to  three  feet  wide. 

"  Wednesday,  July  30. — We  continued  our  journey 
on  a  small  river  which  runs  from  the  lake.  It  was 
very  shallow.  We  had  to  lighten  our  canoe  by 
carrying  portions  of  our  goods.  This  is  terrible 
work,  especially  when  clouds  of  mosquitoes  attack 
one  from  every  quarter.  The  country  is  still 
mountainous.  Fish  are  plentiful  in  the  river. 

"Friday,  August  i. — The  current  was  strong,  but 
the  river  shallow.  We  had  to  be  very  cautious,  as 
our  canoe  has  been  broken  three  times  since  starting. 
We  had  a  narrow  escape  once.  We  struck  a  large 


156  THE    LIFE   OF    E.    J.    PECK 

stone  in  passing  down  a  rapid,  but  we  were  for 
tunately  carried  into  shallow  water  before  the  canoe 
filled.  We  were  able  to  patch  up  our  shattered  craft 
and  proceed  on  our  way." 

Enough  has  been  written  in  the  transcription  of 
these  notes  to  convey  some  impressions  to  the  mind 
of  the  reader.  The  appalling  solitude,  the  merciless 
swarms  of  insects,  the  danger,  the  toil  continuing 
for  three  and  a  half  weeks,  must  rouse  a  certain 
amount  of  sympathy  in  even  the  most  apathetic. 
That  it  was  a  journey  worthy  of  consideration  from 
other  than  the  missionary  point  of  view  is  attested 
by  the  fact  that  it  was  noticed  by  the  Royal  Geo 
graphical  Society,  and  Mr.  Peck's  notes  were  repub- 
lished  in  its  journals. 

At  last,  on  August  n,  the  travellers  found  the 
tide  flowing  with  such  force  in  the  afternoon  that 
they  were  unable  to  make  headway  against  it. 
This  was  a  clear  indication  that  they  were  nearing 
their  goal,  as  the  coast  could  not  be  very  far  distant. 
It  turned  out  they  were  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  as  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  water 
at  Ungava  Bay  is  about  sixty  feet,  it  can  be  readily 
understood  that  to  stem  its  adverse  torrent  was 
out  of  the  question.  So  they  waited  for  the  turn 
of  the  tide,  and  then  went  down  the  river  at  a 
swinging  pace.  Towards  evening  Fort  Chimo  was 
reached.  A  hearty  welcome  was  given  them  by  the 
officer  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  charge  of 


UNGAVA  157 

the  station,  and  so  they  "  were  glad  because  they 
were  quiet,  for  He  had  brought  them  into  their 
desired  haven."  Three  weeks  were  spent  at  this 
port,  during  which  the  Eskimos  were  instructed 
and  the  few  Europeans  ministered  to.  And  what 
was  the  result  ?  Mr  Peck  had  written,  "  Our 
object  in  taking  the  journey  was  to  reach  the  Eskimos 
living  in  those  parts,  and  to  lay  before  them  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation." 

Did  they  receive  the  Gospel  ?  is  the  all-important 
question  from  the  missionary's  point  of  view.  To 
this  we  have  the  answer  given  : 

"  Several  of  these  people  heard  with  amazement 
of  that  Saviour  who  came  to  save  and  bless.  Many 
of  them  showed  a  great  desire  to  learn,  and  some 
of  them  crowded  in  my  little  tent  and  asked  over 
and  over  again  various  questions  bearing  on  the 
things  of  eternity.  Not  a  few  of  them,  I  trust,  have 
received  into  their  hearts  seeds  of  saving  truth 
which  will,  under  the  influence  of  God's  Holy  Spirit, 
draw  them  to  Jesus  for  pardon  and  peace.  Surely 
this  fact  ought  to  speak  in  no  silent  tone  to  the 
Church  of  God.  Where  is  our  faith  and  self-denial 
if  a  people  so  eager  to  learn  are  left  without  a  teacher 
to  point  them  to  Jesus,  the  Fountain  of  Life  ?  " 

There  are,  however,  no  particular  details  given 
of  this  sojourn  and  the  work  accomplished,  and  it 
was  not  for  years  afterwards  that  anything  more 
was  heard  of  it.  In  1899,  after  Mr.  Peck  had  been 


158  THE    LIFE    OF    E.    J.    PECK 

at  work  for  some  years  in  Cumberland  Sound,  he 
received  a  letter  from  Bishop  La  Trobe,  of  the 
Moravian  Church.  It  is  so  important,  and  so  full 
of  encouragement  for  the  lonely  worker  for  God, 
that  it  is  given  here  in  extenso  as  a  completion  to  the 
sojourn  at  Ungava  Bay. 

"  MORAVIAN  MISSION  BOARD. 

HERRNHUT, 

SAXONY. 

November  13,  1899. 
Rev.  E.  J.  PECK, 

BLACKLEAD  ISLAND, 

CUMBERLAND  INLET. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND, — I  have  a  story  to  tell  which 
is  of  special  interest  to  you  who  have  sown  the  Seed 
of  Life  in  Ungava  Bay.  It  seems  as  if  God  will  now 
give  a  reaping  time.  Having  heard  of  "  a  great 
awakening  "  at  Kangiva  and  Ungava, our  missionary, 
Stecker,  at  Ramah,  went  thither  last  April  by  invita 
tion  of  Mr.  Guy,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
agent  at  Kangiva.  He  was  accompanied  by  Ludwig, 
a  Christian  Eskimo,  and  joined  at  Nachwak  by 
Mr.  Ford,  the  H.B.C.  trader  at  that  post,  and  an 
Eskimo,  who  is  still  heathen. 

I  will  not  linger  on  their  journey  across  the  lofty 
ridge  of  that  northern  point  of  Labrador,  but  only 
say  that  its  experiences  were  of  daily  perils  and  daily 
preservation  and  mercies.  A  southerly  wind  brought 


UNGAVA  159 

a  sudden  thaw,  and  part  of  the  journey  was  through 
melting  snow  and  flowing  water,  instead  of  over  the 
frozen  surface  of  land  and  river  and  sea.  The  men 
and  dogs  and  sledge  often  sank  deep  into  the  soft 
snow,  and  some  of  the  streams  they  came  to  were 
well-nigh  impassable. 

Arrived  at  length  at  Kangiva,  Mr.  Stecker  found 
that  there  was  a  real  awakening,  and  that  it  is  to 
be  traced  to  the  Divine  blessing  on  your  own  work 
at  Ungava.  From  thence  it  has  spread  northward 
to  Kangiva,  the  Island  of  Akpatok,  and  even  to  the 
other  side  of  Hudson's  Straits.  It  was  soon  plain 
to  him — and  he  says  it  would  be  plain  to  every  one — 
that  the  work  is  of  God.  No  doubt  some  of  the 
Eskimos  are  going  on  with  the  stream,  but  its  flow 
is  towards  Christianity.  The  Eskimos  have  fully 
broken  with  heathen  practices  and  sorcery,  and  their 
countenances  showed  the  cheerful  character  of  the 
change.  They  were  quite  candid  and  open  with 
Mr.  Stecker.  They  are  eager  to  observe  the  Sabbath, 
counting  the  days  week  by  week  to  the  seventh  day, 
when  they  rest  from  work.  All  the  Eskimos,  even 
the  old  people,  are  learning  to  read  and  write  in  the 
Syllabic  character,  and  your  extracts  from  the  Bible 
and  the  Catechism  are  highly  prized.  It  is  astonish 
ing  what  progress  the  Kangiva  people  have  made  in 
one  year,  since  they  began  to  learn  from  those  of 
Ungava.  They  are  diligently  instructing  their 
children  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  They  are  hungry 


160  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.  PECK 

for  instruction  in  the  things  of  God,  and  could  not 
hear  enough  from  Mr.  Stecker.  They  repeatedly 
said  :  "  O,  if  we  only  had  a  missionary  !  "  Again 
and  again  they  begged  him  to  come  again  next  year, 
and  he  plans  to  do  so  in  March,  1900,  when  he  will 
visit  Ungava  as  well  as  Kangiva.  At  the  latter 
there  are  some  70  Eskimos,  at  the  former  more,  and 
also  some  Indians  living  separate  from,  and  some  also 
among,  the  Indians  from  the  interior,  and  Eskimos 
from  Akpatok  also  come  thither  to  trade.  Mr. 
Stecker  says  there  is  really  an  open  door.  He  thinks 
Ungava  the  best  centre  for  a  station.  Kangiva  can 
be  reached  from  thence  in  two  or  three  days. 

The  agents  of  the  Company  bear  witness  that  the 
Eskimos  are  quite  different  to  what  they  used  to  be, 
and  really  in  earnest  to  live  a  new  life.  The  traders 
at  both  posts  would  welcome  and  assist  a  missionary, 
and  think  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  his  getting 
provisions  by  the  Company's  ships.  It  remains  to 
be  seen  how  the  H.B.C.  authorities  in  Canada  and 
London  will  view  the  matter. 

The  Eskimo  dialect  used  in  Ungava  Bay  differs 
in  accent  and  in  some  words  from  that  used  along 
the  Atlantic  coast,  but  not  so  much  that  one  of  our 
missionaries  would  find  any  difficulty.  If  he  were 
already  firm  in  the  language  his  ear  would  soon  be 
accustomed  to  the  new  sounds. 

And  now,  dear  Brother,  whose  is  the  privilege 
and  duty  to  take  up  the  work  thus  begun  in  the 


UNGAVA  161 

Divine  leading  of  Providence  ?  Personally,  I  feel 
that  it  is  laid  on  our  Church  as  an  extension  of  her 
existing  work  among  the  Eskimos,  and  I  believe 
that  you  and  the  C.M.S.  Committee  will  acquiesce 
in  this.  Being  in  London  in  1897,  I  called  on  Mr. 
Baring-Gould  at  Salisbury  Square,  and  spoke  with 
him  especially  about  Ungava.  He  expressed  the 
hope  that  the  way  might  be  made  clear  for  our 
Church  to  enter  on  work  there.  May  God  show 
us  His  will  for  Ungava.  I  do  hope  you  are  blessed 
and  cheered  in  your  work  at  Cumberland  Inlet. 
I  wonder  if  you  ever  come  across  any  trace  of  our 
Missionary  Warmow's  visit  there  in  1858. 

In  sincere  Christian  regards, 
I  am,  dear  friend, 

Yours  most  truly, 

B.  LA  TROBE. 

The  allusion  in  the  end  of  the  above  letter  is  to  a 
Moravian  missionary  named  Warmow,  who  wintered 
on  the  northern  shore  of  Cumberland  Sound  in  a 
whaling  ship  in  1858.  He  was  sent  out  to  see  what 
openings  existed  for  missionary  work. 


ii 


CHAPTER    IX 

MARRIAGE — FORT  GEORGE 
"  Thy  people  shall  be  my  people." 

MR.  PECK'S  sojourn  at  Ungava  Bay  lasted 
until  the  arrival  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany's  steamer.  Then  he  embarked  on  the  vessel 
which  sailed  to  a  port  on  the  Labrador  coast.  After 
various  changes  he  reached  St.  John's,  Newfound 
land.  Thence  taking  passage  in  a  ship  sailing  for 
England  he  arrived  in  Liverpool  on  the  I5th  of 
October,  1884,  to  enjoy  a  sojourn  in  the  old  country. 
This  English  sojourn  has  no  place  in  an  account 
of  work  among  the  Eskimos  save  for  one  fact  which 
influenced  that  work  considerably.  This  was 
Mr.  Peck's  marriage.  He  had  known  the  Rev.  W. 
Coleman,  the  present  vicar  of  Moreton  Morrell,  in 
Warwickshire,  before  he  went  to  Little  Whale  River, 
and  when  on  a  visit  to  him  after  his  return  home, 
he  found  his  friend's  sister,  Miss  Coleman,  ready 
to  share  his  life  of  privation  and  danger  for  the  sake 
of  Christ.  They  were  married  in  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Greenwich,  where  Mr.  Coleman  was  curate  at  that 

162 


MARRIAGE  163 

time.  Nothing  need  be  said  except  that  she  was 
worthy  in  every  way  to  be  the  partner  of  the  servant 
of  God,  and  to  cheer  his  solitude.  A  braver  and 
more  devoted  help-meet  was  never  given  to  a  man. 
"  Fear  did  not  enter  into  her  calculations  where 
the  Lord's  work  and  His  glory  were  the  object." 

"Is  it  His  will  that  we  should  prosecute  this 
work  ?  "  would  be  the  only  question,  and  when 
the  answer  was  affirmative :  Then  let  us  go  for 
ward  "  Strong  in  the  strength  which  God  supplies 
through  His  eternal  Son." 

We  are  reminded  as  we  read  this  of  the  patient 
persevering  faith  of  the  first  woman  who  had  any 
thing  to  do  with  Eskimo  missionary  work.  When 
Hans  Egede  embarked  at  Vaagen  for  Bergen 
before  proceeding  to  Greenland  nearly  two  hundred 
years  ago,  his  friends  who  had  been  estranged  from 
him  for  some  time  owing  to  his  madness,  as  they 
deemed  it,  in  leaving  home  for  unknown  perils  and 
hardship,  found  their  love  for  him  revive.  They 
flocked  in  crowds  to  see  the  ship  sail  and  to  wish 
him  God-speed.  This  sympathy  and  demonstration 
of  affection  proved  almost  too  much  for  his  stead 
fastness  of  purpose.  Then  it  was  that  his  wife  stood 
by  his  side  bidding  him  be  brave,  play  the  man  and 
not  look  back  after  having  laid  his  hand  to  the 
plough.  And  so  it  is  that  not  only  on  the  day  of 
Calvary  but  all  through  the  history  of  Christianity, 
women  stand  closest  to  the  Cross  of  the  Saviour* 


164  THE   LIFE   OF   E.   J.    PECK 

In  May,  1885,  almost  immediately  after  their  wed 
ding,  the  newly-married  pair  left  Liverpool  for 
Hudson's  Bay.  They  travelled  by  way  of  Quebec, 
Montreal,  through  Lake  Huron,  and  a  portion  of 
Lake  Superior  as  far  as  Michipicoten,  and  from  the 
last-named  place,  about  500  miles  to  Moose,  in  a 
frail  birch  bark  canoe. 

Novel  were  the  experiences  for  the  young  bride 
almost  before  the  days  of  the  honeymoon  were  over  J 
lakes  and  rivers  abounded  in  rapids  which  had  to  be 
"shot."  The  sensations  of  many  in  these  positions  of 
excitement,  not  to  mention  danger,  would  have 
been  such  as  those  experience  "  who  go  down  to  the 
sea  in  ships  and  occupy  themselves  in  great  waters." 
The  Psalmist  describes  them  in  the  expressive  words  : 
"  Their  soul  melteth  away." 

The  Indian  guide  who  accompanied  them,  and 
who  could  speak  a  quaint,  broken  English,  hoping 
to  amuse  and  interest  the  travellers,  gave  detailed 
accounts  of  all  the  thrilling  events  which  had 
occurred  in  the  past,  when  voyagers  had  essayed 
to  shoot  these  rapids. 

One  place  he  called  "  De  Frenchman's  rapid," 
and  in  response  to  the  question,  "  How  did  it  acquire 
that  name  ?  "  he  replied,  for  the  special  comfort 
and  edification  of  the  two  travellers,  that  three 
Frenchmen  had  recently  been  drowned  there,  while 
attempting  to  shoot  that  particular  rapid. 

"  But  shooting  these  rapids,"  writes  Mr,  Peck, 


MARRIAGE  165 

"  though  attended  with  danger,  has  its  peculiar 
excitements,  and  quite  ecstatic  experiences,  and 
often  we  almost  yelled  with  excited  delight,  when 
after  a  few  minutes  of  breathless  suspense,  we 
suddenly  found  ourselves  rushing  safely  through 
the  white,  foaming  waters  at  the  foot  of  the  roaring 
torrent." 

After  six  weeks  of  travel  the  journey  came  to  an 
end  on  July  4,  1885,  by  the  arrival  of  the  travellers 
at  Moose. 

Almost  immediately  after  reaching  the  last- 
mentioned  place,  Mr.  Peck  found  a  small  vessel  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  sailing  for  Little  Whale 
River.  He  accordingly  embraced  the  opportunity 
of  paying  a  somewhat  flying  visit  to  his  Eskimos, 
Mrs.  Peck  had  met  with  an  accident  and  was  unable 
to  accompany  her  husband.  Concerning  this  visit  he 
writes  :  "  They  gave  me  a  most  hearty  welcome,  and 
seemed  so  glad  to  see  me  back  again  safe  and  sound." 

"  As  regards  the  work,  I  am  glad  to  say  that  two 
of  the  native  teachers  have  done  what  they  could 
to  instruct  their  fellow-countrymen  during  my 
absence,  and  on  the  whole  we  saw  reason  to  be 
thankful  that  so  much  had  been  done." 

This  journey  occupied  a  very  short  time,  and 
Mr.  Peck's  intention  was  to  return  to  Moose  only 
to  take  his  wife  away.  But  this  proved  to  be  im 
possible.  The  doctor  decided  that  she  must  remain 
where  she  was  through  the  winter. 


166  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Happily  the  effects  of  the  accident  soon  passed 
off.  On  February  8,  1886,  Mrs.  Peck  writes  to 
Miss  Tolley :  "  I  am  so  very  glad  to  be  able  to  tell 
you  that  through  the  blessing  of  God,  I  am  quite 
recovered.  The  fine  bracing  weather  we  have  had 
has  done  me  much  good,  and  I  am  looking  forward 
with  great  pleasure  to  the  summer  when  we  hope 
(D.V.)  to  go  on  together  to  our  Eskimos,  who  have 
been  so  long  without  their  minister.  I  am  very 
happy  out  in  this  lonely  land.  The  days  pass 
quickly  and  pleasantly  with  a  little  study  of  the 
language,  a  walk  and  work  of  some  kind.  I  have 
experienced  for  the  first  time  the  intense  pleasure  of 
receiving  letters  after  a  long  silence.  The  whole  of 
the  day  on  the  receipt  of  our  letters  was  spent  in 
reading  them  and  thinking  of  the  home  friends  .  .  . 
On  the  arrival  of  the  annual  ship,  we  had  much 
pleasure  in  looking  at  the  bale  of  things  sent  out  by 
so  many  kind  friends.  Our  pleasure  was  a  little 
spoiled  because  we  knew  we  should  not  distribute 
them  ourselves.  I  hope  next  year  to  know  all  the 
people  a  little,  and  more  as  years  pass  on,  should 
it  please  God  to  spare  me  to  work  with  my  husband 
amongst  his  people.  I  am  longing  to  get  to  the 
work  and  shall  try  to  learn  both  Indian  and  Eskimo. 
The  latter  seems  the  most  difficult ;  it  is  hard  to  get 
the  right  pronunciation." 

Nine  days  later,  i.e.,  February  17,  1886,  Mr.  Peck 
writes  ;  "  As  Mrs.  Peck  is  now  so  well,  I  shall  (D.V.) 


MARRIAGE  167 

leave  for  Little  Whale  River  in  a  few  days.  I  shall 
have  to  walk  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles ; 
the  remaining  three  hundred  and  fifty  will  have 
to  be  done  with  sledge  and  dogs."  In  this  same 
letter  we  hear  for  the  first  time  of  the  prospect  of 
easier  journeyings  in  the  near  future  on  account  of 
a  useful  gift  to  the  Mission :  "  My  little  steamer 
will,  I  trust,  be  put  together  in  the  coming  summer. 
I  shall  (D.V.)  return  to  Moose  in  the  beginning  of 
July,  and  shall,  perhaps,  use  the  steam  launch  in 
taking  my  wife  on  to  our  own  little  home." 

The  postscript  to  this  letter  is :  "  The  dogs  have 
just  arrived,  and  I  start  to-morrow  morning  early 
on  my  long  journey." 

It  needs  no  words  from  an  editorial  pen  to  enable 
us  to  read  between  the  lines,  of  the  patient  self- 
denial  of  both  man  and  wife,  who  in  the  first  year 
of  wedded  happiness  give  up  one  another  for  long 
periods  of  separation  and  of  the  faith  that  trusts 
God  with  all  that  is  dearest  in  privation  and 
danger. 

The  stay  at  Little  Whale  River  lasted  from 
March  18  to  May  5.  No  details  of  this  visit  are 
forthcoming,  but  the  general  summary  is ; 

"  I  was  kept  busy  teaching  the  Eskimos.  I  was 
glad  to  see  that  many  of  them  had  taken  care  of 
their  little  books,  and  had  continued  to  read  them 
during  my  absence  in  England.  Others,  again,  were 
as  anxious  as  ever  to  hear  the  message  of  salvation, 


168  THE   LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

while  some,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  have  gone  back  to 
their  heathen  ways,  and  their  hearts  seem  closed 
against  the  truth.  But  to  counteract  this  last 
saddening  fact  God  has  given  us  a  mighty  token  of 
His  power  in  the  happy,  yea,  triumphant,  death 
of  one  of  Christ's  little  flock. 

"  Having  remained  at  Little  Whale  River  as 
long  as  possible,  I  took  an  Eskimo,  with  sledge  and 
dogs,  and  travelled  on  to  Fort  George.  One  remark 
able  incident  ought  to  be  mentioned  here  in  connec 
tion  with  this  journey.  When  we  approached  the 
Fort  George  River,  the  ice,  which  was  very  weak, 
began  to  break  up ;  but  fortunately  the  portion  on 
which  we  were  standing  held  together  until  the 
people  at  the  post  came  and  took  us  away  in  a 
canoe.  The  rush  of  water  and  ice  near  us  was 
really  alarming,  and  nothing,  humanly  speaking, 
could  have  saved  us  had  the  whole  force  of  the 
current  borne  down  upon  us  ;  but,  thank  God,  it 
was  carried  in  an  opposite  direction,  and  we  were 
able  to  keep  afloat  until  succour  arrived. 

"  Had  I  known  the  real  state  of  the  ice  I  should 
not,  of  course,  have  gone  near  it ;  but  neither  my 
Eskimo  companion  nor  I  had  any  conception  of  its 
weakness,  and  we  thus  unconsciously  ran  into 
danger.  May  this  remarkable  preservation  be 
written  upon  my  inmost  soul !  May  gratitude  to 
God  for  His  goodness  incline  me  to  real  devotion  in 
His  service !  " 


FORT   GEORGE  169 

Mr.  Peck  reached  Moose  again  somewhat  earlier 
than  he  had  at  first  contemplated,  on  June  23. 
Here  he  found  all  well  and  the  steam  launch  within 
a  few  weeks  of  completion.  So  it  was  determined 
that  the  start  should  be  made  almost  at  once  for 
their  own  station. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  on  his  return  from 
England  Mr.  Peck  received  instructions  to  make 
Fort  George  his  base  instead  of  Little  Whale  River. 
They  started,  then,  for  this  station,which  is  about  two 
hundred  miles  south  of  his  old  quarters.  Mrs.  Peck 
travelled  in  company  with  a  medical  gentleman, 
Dr.  Dobbs,  who  was  most  kind  and  helpful. 

"  I  went  on,"  says  Mr.  Peck,  "  with  our  supplies, 
which  were  shipped  in  a  boat,  the  gift  of  kind  friends 
in  England,  which  had  been  sent  out  in  the  annual 
ship  the  previous  year. 

"  In  due  time,  after  my  arrival,  Mrs.  Peck  also 
arrived,  and  shortly  after  gave  birth  to  our  first 
born,  a  fine  boy,  who  I  trust  will  himself  become,  in 
God's  good  time,  a  messenger  of  peace  to  the  heathen. 

"  Our  home  at  Fort  George  was  a  log-house, 
thirty-four  feet  long  by  sixteen  feet  broad.  This 
area  was  divided  into  three  rooms,  one  being  our 
dining,  the  other  a  sitting-room,  and  the  third  my 
study.  Our  bedroom  was  on  the  second  floor,  but 
in  cold  and  stormy  weather,  we  found  it  practically 
impossible  to  use  this  upper  room,  and  were  glad 
to  make  any  shift  in  the  lower  rooms. 


170  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

"  The  house  was  warmed  by  means  of  two  large 
stoves,  one  being  for  use  downstairs,  the  other  up. 
Wood  was  burnt  in  these  and  a  goodly  supply  was 
needed  to  last  us  through  the  long,  long  winter. 

"  This  fuel  was  obtained  from  the  woods  bordering 
the  bank  of  the  river,  and  was  mostly  cut  in  the 
summer  time,  made  up  into  rafts,  and  floated  down 
the  river,  to  a  point  not  a  great  way  from  our  house. 
From  the  river's  bank  it  was  carried  up  conveniently 
near  to  the  house  and  stacked  in  piles  for  the  winter 
consumption. 

"  All  food,  such  as  flour,  oatmeal,  tea,  sugar 
and  every  other  kind  of  grocery  and  kindred  sup 
plies,  had  to  be  obtained  from  England,  and  this 
only  once  a  year,  by  the  annual  vessel.  At  Fort 
George,  however,  we  never  saw  this  vessel,  for  our 
supplies  reached  us  by  a  smaller  craft. 

"  Now  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  and  one  for  which 
I  would  never  cease  to  give  praise  to  our  covenant- 
keeping  God,  that  during  the  whole  of  our  experi 
ence  at  this  isolated  station,  the  vessel  never  failed 
to  reach  its  destination. 

"  At  Fort  George,  in  certain  more  favourable 
years,  we  were  able  to  grow  a  few  stunted,  diminutive 
vegetables  :  we  have  even  grown  a  few  potatoes, 
though  it  is  not  possible  to  say  much  about  either 
their  size  or  quality. 

"  Turnips,  as  being  more  hardy,  were  our  stand 
ing  crop.  Our  little  daughter,  who  was  born  at 


FORT   GEORGE  171 

Fort  George  (and  no  medical  man  was  near  us),  when 
she  was  big  enough  to  toddle  about,  used  to  make 
her  way  to  the  garden  and  pull  up  a  turnip,  and 
devour  it  with  the  keenest  relish. 

"  An  amusing  incident  in  connection  with  this 
child  and  her  love  of  raw  turnips,  occurred  in  1892, 
seven  years  after,  on  my  return  to  England.  We 
had  just  landed,  my  wife  and  children  and  myself, 
under  circumstances  that  will  find  their  own  place 
later  on  in  this  narrative.  While  waiting  at  the 
railway  station,  previous  to  the  starting  of  the 
train,  and  having  seen  some  apples  at  a  fruiterers 
near  by  as  we  entered  the  terminus,  I  thought 
they  would  be  a  treat  to  my  children,  who  had  never, 
of  course,  seen  an  apple. 

"  Returning  to  the  carriage  where  I  had  left  them, 
I  dropped  some  of  the  apples  into  the  lap  of  my 
little  girl,  waiting  curiously  to  hear  what  remark 
she  would  make  concerning  the  (to  her,)  strange 
fruit. 

"  With  wonder  in  every  line  of  her  sweet  little 
face,  she  looked  up  into  her  mother's,  and  with 
beautiful,  childlike  simplicity,  cried  ;  *  Oh,  mother  ! 
what  big  turnips  these  are.' 

"  To  return  to  Fort  George.  Besides  the  food 
supplied  from  England,  we  could,  in  most  years 
obtain  a  fair  supply  of  fish,  rabbits,  partridges,  and 
sometimes  a  little  venison.  But  there  were  years 
when  these  things  could  not  be  got,  then  the  anxiety 


172          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

and  strain  to  provide  for  one's  loved  ones  was  very 
great  and  sore. 

"  Mrs.  Peck  did  wonders  in  the  way  of  making 
our  log-hut  bright  and  cheerful.  Our  little  sitting- 
room  was  most  tastefully  arranged,  and  our  meal 
times  were  ordered  with  as  much  regularity  as  if 
we  had  been  living  in  England. 

"  We  had  Indian  girls  from  time  to  time,  as  ser 
vants,  and  one  of  these  especially  became  very 
useful  and  helpful. 

"  Mrs.  Peck's  daily  life  was  somewhat  as  follows. 
After  the  Indian  maid  had  lighted  the  fires  so  that 
the  rooms  were  fairly  warmed,  the  little  ones  were 
washed  and  dressed. 

"  Breakfast  followed  this,  consisting  often  of 
fried  fish,  porridge,  etc.  Then  came  the  morning 
family  devotions,  reading  and  prayers. 

"  After  prayers,  various  domestic  matters  were 
attended  to,  dinner  prepared,  children's  clothing 
looked  over  and  mended  or  newly  made.  Then  at 
i  p.m.  came  dinner. 

"  After  dinner,  our  little  ones  were  amused  and 
taught,  and  during  my  absences  from  the  station, 
Mrs.  Peck  held  school  for  the  children  belonging 
to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  employes. 

"  Tea  came  at  5  p.m.,  after  which  our  little  ones 
were  read  to,  and  put  into  bed." 

After  the  little  ones  were  tucked  into  bed,  in 
that  icy  northern  home  of  the  Pecks,  a  few  other 


FORT   GEORGE  173 

matters  employed  husband  and  wife  until  9  p.m., 
then  came  prayers,  and  retiring. 

"  My  time,"  writes  Mr.  Peck,  "  was  taken  up 
with  teaching  bands  of  Indians  and  Eskimos  who 
came  into  the  station  to  trade,  and  who  made  visits 
of  various  lengths.  School  was  also  held  for  the 
children  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  people, 
while  tuition  was  also  given  to  one  or  two  Eskimo 
boys  whom  we  kept  at  our  house.  These  were  not 
only  instructed,  but  Mrs.  Peck  did  everything 
possible  for  them  as  regarded  food  and  clothing. 

"  In  the  winter,  we  made  a  high,  thick,  wall-like 
bank  of  snow  (three  to  four  feet  wide)  against  the 
walls  of  our  house,  which  proved  a  great  help  in 
keeping  it  warm,  shutting  out  the  piercing  wind, 
and  enabling  us  to  keep  it  snug. 

"  Our  little  ones  were  clad  in  warm  English  gar 
ments,  and  in  wintry  weather  were,  of  necessity, 
kept  indoors.  Toys  and  picture-books,  which  kind 
and  thoughtful  friends  sent  out  from  home,  with 
others  which  we  ordered  ourselves,  helped  to  amuse 
them,  and  make  their  little  lives  bright. 

"  When  we  were  all  in  good  health  our  lives  passed 
very  happily,  but  when  sickness  invaded  our  little 
home — with  the  nearest  doctor  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  away — our  only  real  hope  was  in  the  loving 
mercy  of  the  Great  Physician,  the  sympathising 
Jesus,  and  in  the  use  of  the  limited  medical  know 
ledge  we  possessed. 


174          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

"  The  greatest  strain  which  Mrs.  Peck  felt  during 
these  years  at  Fort  George,  was  during  my  absences 
when  visiting  the  distant  Eskimos.  As  these  people 
visited  Whale  River  in  the  months  of  March,  April, 
and  May,  I  travelled  from  Fort  George  early  in  the 
month  of  March,  and  sometimes  in  February,  to 
Great  Whale  River,  and  did  not  return  until  the 
beginning  of  May. 

"  It  was  at  these  times  that  Mrs.  Peck  found  her 
missionary  life  most  trying.  She  was  not  abso 
lutely  alone  at  Fort  George,  as  Mr.  Miles  Spencer 
was  in  charge  of  the  station.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  in  many  ways  real  friends  and  helpers.  Still, 
for  all  that,  the  general  monotony  of  life  at  the 
station,  when  alone  in  our  little  house,  far  from  her 
English  home,  and  friends,  and  associations,  needed 
a  brave  heart  to  face  brightly  the  inseparable  trials 
of  such  a  position. 

This  chapter  cannot  have  a  better  finish  than  a 
few  extracts  from  diaries  and  letters  which  will 
enable  the  reader  to  picture  to  himself  the  lives  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck  during  the  next  year  or  two, 
whether  they  are  together  or  in  their  enforced 
separations. 

On  January  18,  1887,  Mr.  Peck  writes :  "  I  start 
(D.V.)  for  our  more  northern  station,  Little  Whale 
River,  on  Thursday,  the  2Oth.  There  I  hope  to 
see  many  bands  of  Eskimos  in  the  three  or  four 
months  during  which  I  shall  probably  remain  there. 


FORT   GEORGE  175 

In^my  absence  my  brave  wife  is  determined  with 
God's  help  to  do  what  she  can  for  the  people  here. 
May  our  gracious  Saviour  be  near  to  cheer  and 
comfort  her  in  her  loneliness." 

On  the  same  day  Mrs.  Peck  writes :  "  And  now  my 
husband  is  again  preparing  for  his  visit  to  Little 
Whale  River.  This  is  a  very  quiet  spot,  but  I  shall 
not  be  quite  alone.  Our  little  son  is  getting  a  very 
good  companion.  He  has  a  great  deal  to  say  some 
times,  and  is  very  amusing." 

Thus  we  see  the  sympathy  of  the  one  and  the 
cheerful  patience  of  the  other  making  the  best  of  a 
trying  position — a  true  picture  of  union  in  and  for 
Christ. 

Again,  a  year  later,  we  have  a  glimpse  into  the 
snug  log  home  which  is  very  charming.  It  is  in  a 
letter  to  Miss  Tolley  from  Mrs.  Peck,  in  which  the 
annual  bale  of  goods  is  acknowledged.  "  Please 
accept  our  most  hearty  thanks  for  all  the  presents. 
The  davenport  is  very  nice  and  so  useful.  My 
husband  is  quite  delighted  with  it.  And  the  book 
shelves  too  make  a  nice  little  addition  to  our  room, 
and  so  suitable,  as  all  our  things  are  small.  The 
room  is  tiny  but  quite  English  looking,  with  carpet 
and  papered  walls.  The  wall  paper  sometimes  gives 
a  very  loud  report,  caused  by  the  frost  bursting  it 
at  the  seams  in  the  boards.  But  in  summer  we 
shall  mend  it  again,  as  we  did  last  year,  and  it  will 
scarcely  show.  I  like  our  little  home  so  very  much 


176          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

that  I  would  not  change  it.  And  then  we  have  our 
work  out  here.  It  is  true  I  cannot  do  much  outside 
work — I  mean,  I  cannot  help  a  great  deal  with 
teaching  the  people,  but  I  try  to  keep  the  home 
bright  .  .  .  Our  Christmas  and  New  Year  were 
spent  very  happily.  We  had  about  sixty  Indians 
come  to  see  us  and  twenty  Eskimos.  We  gave  them 
all  coffee  or  tea  and  cakes.  With  that  they  were 
very  much  pleased.  They  all  like  to  shake  hands 
with  us  and  kiss  the  boy.  They  say  that  he  will  be 
their  minister  by  and  by,  so  that  they  will  always 
have  some  one  to  teach  them.  We  should  very 
much  like  him  to  be,  if  it  is  God's  will.  The  Indian 
for  little  minister  is  *  lyumehowooche-mashish,' 
that  is  what  they  generally  call  him.  My  husband 
is  called  '  lyumehowooche-mow,'  and  I  am  called 
'  lyumehowoochemashwow.'  " 

All  this  sounds  cheery  enough,  and  we  can  under 
stand  the  need  of  cheeriness  and  brightness  within 
that  cabin  home  when  we  read  at  the  same  time  in 
Mr.  Peck's  letter  :  "  Our  winter  here  is  passing  very 
pleasantly,  and  we  feel  quite  snug  in  our  little  log- 
house.  True  the  vast  expanse  of  snow  outside 
looks  cold,  and  at  times,  perhaps,  makes  one  feel  a 
little  gloomy.  Still  we  feel  that  we  are  spending 
our  lives  here  for  some  purpose,  and  this,  after  all,  is, 
I  think,  the  great  fact  to  bear  in  mind.  Life  spent 
in  the  Saviour's  service  is  life  well  spent." 

In  the  summer  of  1888,  Mr.  Peck  started  011  a 


FORT  GEORGE  177 

journey  to  Moose,  and  intended  to  be  away  from 
home  at  least  six  or  eight  weeks.  His  wife  was 
surprised,  however,  to  find  him  returning  very  soon 
after  his  departure.  What  had  happened  ?  Was 
he  ill  ?  Had  he  changed  his  mind  ?  No,  it  was 
simply  that  a  serious  accident  had  happened,  but 
happily  unattended  by  any  loss  of  life.  "  I  had," 
he  says,  "  rather  a  serious  mishap  when  going  from 
Fort  George  to  Moose  in  my  boat.  We  had  got 
some  eighty  miles  on  our  way  when  we  were  obliged 
through  stress  of  weather  to  anchor  the  vessel 
on  the  lee  side  of  an  island.  We  then  thought  it 
wise  to  camp  on  shore.  Shortly  after  a  fearful 
storm  came  on  and  drove  the  boat  from  her  anchor 
age.  She  finally  foundered  amidst  the  heavy  seas. 
We  had  a  small  canoe  with  us  on  the  island,  and  so 
when  the  weather  moderated  we  were  able  to  go  to 
the  spot  where  the  boat  had  sunk.  With  much 
difficulty  we  managed  to  get  her  afloat  again.  Un 
fortunately  my  box  was  on  board  containing  nearly 
all  my  clothes  and  several  of  my  books.  This  was 
shattered  by  the  violence  of  the  waves,  and  many 
of  the  things  were  lost.  Some  few,  however,  were 
eventually  found  packed  amongst  the  seaweed  and 
sand.  What  a  mercy  that  matters  were  no  worse  ! 
How  thankful  one  ought  to  be  that  I  and  all  that 
were  with  me  should  have  been  on  shore  when  the 
storm  came  on.  Had  we  been  in  the  boat,  not  one 
of  us,  humanly  speaking,  could  have  been  saved." 

12 


178          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

There  is  a  bright  side  to  every  gloomy  position, 
and  it  is  pleasant  to  see  the  missionary  take  cheer 
fully  the  spoiling  of  his  goods. 

We  do  not  often  hear  of  Mrs.  Peck  accompanying 
her  husband  on  his  journeys.  But  sometimes  she 
was  able  to  do  so.  In  1889,  on  March  17,  a  little 
daughter  was  born,  and  in  the  summer  following, 
when  the  baby  was  only  two  or  three  months  old, 
she  and  the  two  children  went  with  Mr.  Peck  to 
Great  Whale  River.  Here  she  remained  while  he 
went  on  to  Little  Whale  River.  A  few  graphic 
touches  come  from  her  pen  :  "  Baby  was  fastened 
up  in  a  bag  called  in  Indian,  '  waspasuian.9  It  is  a 
strange-looking  thing,  laced  up  in  the  front.  I 
always  think  babies  packed  in  that  way  look  like 
small  bolsters.  It  is,  however,  the  best  method 
of  taking  them,  for  the  weather,  even  during  the 
summer,  is  very  changeable.  The  coast  to  the 
south  of  Cape  Jones  is  very  pleasant.  There  are 
many  islands  on  which  one  can  go  ashore  to  camp 
or  for  meals.  To  the  north  of  the  Cape  the  coast 
is  open  and  when  the  wind  was  strong  we  had  to  lay 
the  canoe  up  close  to  the  shore  for  fear  of  being  blown 
out  to  sea  in  our  frail  craft.  This  was  in  some  places 
rather  dangerous  on  account  of  the  shoals.  When 
we  left  the  point  of  Cape  Jones  we  had  to  travel  in 
this  way.  We  went  about  eighteen  miles  in  two 
hours,  and  then  were  very  thankful  to  put  ashore 
on  a  barren  point  of  the  Cape  where  some  Eskimos 


ESKIMO   CHILDREN   OUTSIDE  TENT. 


FORT  GEORGE 

and  Indians  were  staying.  These  were  very  pleased 
to  see  us,  and  came  down  to  the  beach  to  help  carry 
our  things  to  a  suitable  camping  place.  We  had 
only  a  tiny  tent  made  as  there  were  no  long  poles. 
The  wood  and  water  we  used  had  to  be  brought  in  a 
kayak,  and,  of  course,  was  not  plentiful.  It  was 
rather  awkward  with  a  young  baby.  The  evening 
we  arrived  was  pleasant,  and  our  boy  enjoyed  a 
game  with  the  Eskimo  children. 

"  The  following  day,  Sunday,  my  husband  was 
busy  reading  and  speaking  to  the  people.  We  were 
kept  in  the  tent  on  account  of  the  rain  which  fell 
almost  continuously  the  whole  day.  Monday  also 
was  very  wet  and  we  could  not  think  of  going  on, 
so  we  had  to  make  the  best  of  our  surroundings.  A 
poor  little  Eskimo  child  died  on  Sunday  night,  and 
was  buried  on  Monday  morning.  A  grave  had  to 
be  made  with  large  stones. 

"  The  Eskimos  are  such  cheerful  people.  Al 
though  it  was  such  dull  weather,  they  seemed  to  be 
happy  and  contented. 

"  The  following  morning  was  very  foggy,  but  we 
thought  it  well  to  try  and  get  on  our  way.  The 
poor  people  were  sorry  to  part  with  us,  and  watched 
until  we  were  hidden  by  the  mist  which  hung  so 
heavily  over  the  sea.  On  our  tenth  day  we  reached 
our  destination,  after  travelling  about  sixty-eight 
miles  in  nine  hours.  Sometimes  the  waves  looked 
as  though  they  would  cover  us,  but  God  watched 


i8o         THE   LIFE   OF  E.    J.    PECK 

over  us.  The  Indian  we  had  as  guide  was  very 
skilful  in  his  management  of  the  canoe  and  never 
seemed  the  least  daunted  by  wind  or  waves.  It 
was  to  me  very  comforting  to  see  him  so  brave. 
We  stayed  at  Great  Whale  River  two  weeks.  We 
were  only  four  days  returning  to  Fort  George," 


CHAPTER  X 

CHANGED  PLANS— HOME 

"  I  will  call  them  my  people  which  were 
not  my  people,  and  her  beloved  which  was 
not  beloved." 

THE  period  to  which  we  have  very  briefly 
alluded  in  the  latter  portion  of  the  last  chapter 
was  one  of  distinct  progress  and  hopefulness,  About 
the  close  of  it  Mr.  Peck  mentions  the  baptism  of 
two  adult  Eskimos,  one  of  whom  had  learned  to 
read  with  almost  no  help  in  the  way  of  teaching, 
He  also  speaks  of  the  triumphant  death  of  another 
convert.  In  the  hour  of  supreme  trial  he  turned 
to  his  sorrowing  relations  and  told  them  not  to 
weep  as  he  was  going  to  live  with  Jesus. 

There  were,  however,  two  matters  which  caused 
some  temporary  check  to  the  work  and  necessitated 
a  certain  re-adjustment  of  the  Mission  machinery. 
The  first  was  that  the  Eskimos  had  been  suffering 
great  losses  through  their  dogs  dying.  As  a  con 
sequence  they  were  unable  to  travel  south  to  the 


181 


182          THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

trading  post.  The  second  was  the  decision  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  abandon  the  trading 
station  at  Little  Whale  River  and  concentrate  on 
Great  Whale  River.  Although  this  was  only  sixty 
miles  further  south,  there  was  no  probability  that 
the  Eskimos,  for  some  time  at  least,  would  journey 
there  in  the  same  numbers  that  had  congregated 
at  the  more  northern  station.  "  Under  the  cir 
cumstances,"  writes  Mr.  Peck  "  I  have,  after  prayer 
ful  consideration,  made  up  my  mind  what  to  do. 
With  God's  blessing  and  help,  I  shall  go  to  the 
Eskimos  if  they  cannot  come  to  me.  With  a 
Christian  Eskimo  as  companion,  and  sledge  and 
dogs,  I  shall  doubtless  find  many  on  the  vast  fields 
of  ice,  and  God,  I  am  sure,  will  be  with  me,  and  He 
will  bless  me." 

But  perhaps  the  most  encouraging  feature  in  the 
work  at  this  time  was  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
prospect  of  self-help  among  the  Eskimos  themselves. 
Youths  there  were  coming  forward  ready  to  work 
for  Christ,  and  fit  also  to  be  trained  as  leaders  in  the 
evangelization  of  their  heathen  fellow-countrymen 
and  instructors  in  the  Christian  church.  Of  them 
Mr.  Peck  writes  : — "  I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  am  now 
able  to  do  a  little  in  the  matter  of  preparing  Eskimo 
lads  as  teachers  (D.V.)  for  their  fellow-countrymen. 
One,  a  very  promising  youth  indeed,  was  appointed 
teacher  by  our  Bishop,  and  I  believe,  with  God's 
blessing,  he  will  become  a  real  help  in  the  work. 


CHANGED    PLANS  183 

I  have  another  with  me  now  who  is  able  to  read  and 
understand  a  goodly  portion  of  St.  Luke's  Gospel. 
I  shall  (D.V.)  go  on  teaching  him,  and  trust  that 
God  will  fit  him  for  His  own  work." 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  at  the  same 
time  all  this  work  was  being  done  Mr.  Peck  was 
also  not  forgetting  the  Indian  Church,  and  as  re 
gards  literary  work  he  says,  "  I  have  been  busy  en 
larging  our  Eskimo  grammar.  This  work  will,  I 
trust,  prove  useful  to  others  who  may  come  in 
contact  with  the  Eskimos." 

Shall  we  now  accompany  our  missionary  in  one 
of  those  "  journeyings  often  "  which  became  more 
frequent  for  the  reasons  given  above  ?  We  shall 
find  ourselves  the  very  first  night  in  rather  cold 
quarters — no  soft  feather  beds,  though  it  is  true 
there  is  a  fire  in  the  bed-room.  It  is  on  March  13, 
1891,  that  we  have  to  make  our  start.  We  are 
off  by  7  a.m.  It  is  dreadful  at  the  very  start.  It 
has  been  snowing  heavily  during  the  night  and  the 
drifts  are  so  deep  that  it  is  with  the  greatest  diffi 
culty  we  can  get  our  sledge  along.  However,  we 
resolve  to  push  on  with  stout  hearts  for  we  are 
buoyed  up  by  the  hope  of  reaching  a  tent  in  which 
we  took  refuge  a  year  ago.  Mile  after  mile  goes  by 
slowly  enough.  It  is  all  we  can  do  to  keep  up  our 
spirits. 

"  At  last !  there  it  is ! "  we  exclaim  as  a  dark  ob 
ject  comes  into  view.  "  No,  I  am  afraid  there  is 


184          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

something  wrong,"  says  Mr.  Peck.  "|There  is  no 
tent  there." 

When  we  approach  we  find  to  our  dismay  that 
the  tent  has  been  practically  destroyed.  There 
are  only  a  few  remains,  altogether  insufficient,  con 
trive  as  we  will,  to  make  a  shelter  for  the  night. 

"Well"  continues  Mr.  Peck  "this  is  not  cheerful, 
but  we  must  make  the  best  of  it.  We  will  jnake  a 
barricade." 

"  And  what  do  you  mean  by  that  "  we  ask  shiver 
ing  and  inwardly  lamenting  that  we  have  left  our 
own  snug  home  for  such  a  journey  as  this. 

"  Oh,  we  will  dig  a  hole  in  the  snow  about  twenty 
feet  in  circumference  and  then  just  make  a  little 
shelter  with  some  tentcloth  on  the  weather  side. 
And  then,  for  I  promised  you  a  fire  in  your  bed 
room,  we  will  try  to  find  a  little  wood  to  light  a 
fire." 

And  so  we  did.  When  we  had  completed  our 
barricade  it  was  dark.  We  went  in  search  of  wood. 
It  was  difficult  enough  to  find.  But  in  time  we 
managed  to  collect  enough  to  make  a  fire,  and  then 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  drinking  a  cup  of  tea.  Oh, 
the  pleasure  of  that  cup  of  tea.  It  may  not  have 
been  over  strong ;  it  may  have  had  a  little  flavour 
of  wood  smoke.  But  it  was  hot  tea.  Nothing 
ever  tasted  half  so  well. 

An  American  writer  who  tried  the  experiment 
of  cutting  himself  off  from  his  luxurious  home  and 


CHANGED    PLANS  185 

private  means  and  earning  his  living  by  manual 
labour  declares  that  the  ordinary  man  or  woman 
in  the  environment  of  modern  artificial  civilization 
cannot  possibly  know  the  keen  pleasure  that  can 
be  got  out  of  eating  and  drinking.  We  eat  when 
we  are  not  hungry,  we  drink  when  we  are  not  thirsty, 
merely  because  our  meal  time  is  come  round.  But 
if  we  throw  off  conventionality,  live  on  sixpenny- 
worth  of  bread  and  cheese  a  day,  and  earn  it  by 
our  physical  labour,  we  shall  gain  a  perfectly  new 
experience. 

Probably  our  experience  was  similar  that  night. 

After  prayers  we  managed  to  coil  ourselves  up 
near  the  fire  in  our  warm  rabbit-skin  blankets  and 
were  soon  fast  asleep. 

We  fancy  by  this  time  the  imaginary  companions 
have  had  enough  of  this  trip,  and  so  we  will  allow 
Mr.  Peck  and  his  faithful  friend  to  pursue  their 
course  unimpeded. 

The  next  morning  in  spite  of  a  strong  wind  and 
heavy  drift  they  determined  to  face  the  road  and 
try  to  reach  some  Indians  who  were  about  ten  miles 
away. 

"  After  about  three  hours'  battling  with  the 
blinding  drift,"  Mr.  Peck  writes,  "  we  were  more 
than  glad  to  meet  an  Indian  who  kindly  guided  us 
to  the  people  we  were  in  search  of." 

On  March  17,  Cape  Jones  was  passed,  and  again 
we  might  find  our  sympathies  awakened  as  we  read  : 


186  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.  PECK 

"  The  country  about  here  is  dreary  in  the  ex 
treme — not  a  tree  or  living  thing  to  be  seen,  noth 
ing  but  one  vast  expanse  of  ice  and  snow  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  reach.  But  it  is  well  to  be  here  amidst 
these  lonely  wastes  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  a 
Saviour's  love.  Surroundings  are  nothing  com 
paratively.  The  use  we  make  of  our  life  is  the 
great  reality." 

Little  Whale  River  was  the  intended  limit  of 
this  itineration.  The  record  of  the  last  day's 
journey  northwards  is,  "  March  25,  we  reached 
the  Eskimos  we  were  in  search  of  in  good  time. 
We  found  four  snow  houses,  each  inhabited  by  one 
family.  We  visited  them,  after  which  they  all 
gathered  together  in  the  largest  house  where  I 
instructed  them. 

"After  staying  some  time  we  passed  on  to  Little 
Whale  River.  We  got  on  nicely  until  within  seven 
miles  of  the  post,  when  our  way  was  almost  blocked 
up  with  vast  boulders  of  ice.  We  knew,  however, 
it  was  no  good  sitting  still  and  looking  at  each 
other,  the  only  way  to  get  through  before  dark 
was  to  press  on  ;  so  urging  our  dogs  over  the  frozen 
masses  we  worked  away  with  a  will  to  keep  the 
sledge  moving  as  the  dogs  wended  their  way  through 
the  rugged  road.  After  some  three  hours'  hard 
work  we  arrived  at  Little  Whale  River,  where  we 
found  some  Eskimos  living  in  an  old  shanty.  We 
put  up  with  them,  and  made  ourselves  as  comfort- 


CHANGED  PLANS  187 

able  as  possible.  We  had  short  service  for  our 
friends,  when  I  laid  before  them,  as  usual,  the 
Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God. 

One  object  which  Mr.  Peck  had  in  view  in  visiting 
the  northern  station  at  this  time,  was  not  a  cheer 
ful  one.  It  was  to  pull  down  and  remove  the  iron 
church,  which  had  been  erected  there  with  much 
joy  and  which  had  proved  to  be  of  very  great  ser 
vice.  Owing  to  the  change  of  plan  of  the  trading 
company  previously  mentioned,  there  was  no  use  in 
allowing  it  to  remain  at  Little  Whale  River. 

On  March  26,  he  is  busy  with  this  work  and 
writes : 

"  It  was  with  feelings  of  sorrow  that  we  took 
down  the  house  of  God  in  which  so  many  of  the 
Eskimos  have  heard  from  time  to  time  the  message 
of  salvation,  but  we  hope  before  long  to  get  it 
shifted  to  Great  Whale  River,  where  I  have  no 
doubt  it  will  be  found  most  useful.  It  was  my 
intention  to  ask  the  Eskimos  to  haul  it  over  the 
ice  to  Great  Whale  River,  but  the  rough  state 
of  the  ice,  which  was  piled  up  in  great  heaps  in 
the  vicinity  of  Little  Whale  River,  together  with 
the  scarcity  of  dogs,  made  this  plan  entirely 
impracticable." 

So  the  actual  removal  had  to  be  postponed  for  a 
favourable  opportunity. 

Good  Friday  and  Easter  Day  were  spent  at  this 
place  (Easter  fell  on  March  29)  ministering  to  the 


188          THE   LIFE   OF   E.   J.    PECK 

few  people  who  were  there.  We  cannot  do  better 
than  take  one  day  as  a  sample  and  follow  the  lead 
of  the  missionary  himself  and  creep  into  some  of 
the  snow  houses  with  him.  We  must  get  down 
low  on  our  hands  and  knees  in  order  to  do  so. 

"  March  31,  We  rose  early  and  went  in  search 
of  some  Eskimos.  These  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  in  good  time,  and  hearing  that  there  were 
some  more  of  the  people  living  out  to  seaward,  I 
started  to  see  them,  intending  to  return  in  the 
evening. 

"  After  a  brisk-drive,  we  saw  our  Eskimo  friends, 
whose  snow  houses  were  built  in  close  proximity 
to  some  vast  boulders  of  ice.  Such  a  desolate- 
looking  scene,  these  vast  piles  of  ice  with  the  mound- 
like  dwellings  which  look  like  large  balls  of  snow 
scattered  amongst  the  frozen  mass. 

"  After  a  glance  at  the  surrounding  scene  I  crawled 
into  the  first  snow  house.  I  found  three  inmates, 
one  of  whom  I  discovered  had  fallen  away  from 
Christ.  I  spoke  to  him  faithfully  but  affection 
ately,  and  then  prayed  with  him.  May  God  in 
His  mercy  turn  him  from  the  path  of  death  ere  it 
be  too  late ! 

"  Entered  next  iglo ;  here  I  found  a  man  and 
his  wife  whom  I  had  not  met  for  years.  They 
told  me  they  had  been  far  out  to  sea  somewhere, 
and  had  not  been  able  to  come  near  the  white 
people.  Although  they  had  been  away  so  long, 


CHANGED  PLANS  189 

I  was  most  pleased  to  find  how  well  they  had  kept 
up  their  knowledge,  and  how  glad  they  were  to 
hear  more  of  Jesus.  After  prayer  with  them  I 
passed  on  to  the  next  iglo.  Here  I  found  some 
people  whom  I  can  hardly  call  encouraging ;  true, 
they  say  they  believe,  but  I  am  afraid  their  hearts 
are  far  from  God.  Exhorted  them  to  really  turn 
to  Jesus  ;  we  then  knelt  down  together  and  I  prayed 
for  them. 

"  In  the  next  iglo  I  found  occupants  who  are  on 
the  whole  encouraging ;  one  man  has  given  me 
much  sorrow,  but  I  trust  he  is  now  desirous  of 
turning  again  to  the  Saviour  who  loves  him  still. 
In  the  last  snow  house  I  found  some  candidates 
for  baptism.  These  received  me  in  a  very  hearty 
manner,  and  listened  with  much  attention  when 
I  spoke  to  them.  After  shaking  hands  with  the 
people  I  returned  to  the  Eskimos  whom  I  had  left 
in  the  morning. 

"  On  entering  the  iglo  where  I  lodged  for  the 
night,  the  first  thing  that  met  my  gaze  was  a  large 
seal  stretched  along  the  floor.  This  had  just  been 
harpooned  by  one  of  the  Christian  Eskimos,  who 
very  kindly  offered  me  a  portion  to  feed  our  dogs. 
I  gathered  all  the  people  together  before  retiring 
to  rest,  and  had  a  very  pleasant  little  meeting  with 
them." 

v~4.nd  in  this  way  the  itineration  was  continued, 
the  lost  and  wandering  sheep  were  sought  out,  until 


THE  LIFE  OF  E.   J.   PECK 

after  an  absence  of  two  months  Mr.  Peck  found 
himself  back  once  more  at  Fort  George.  In  a 
private  letter  about  this  time  he  says :  "I  found 
some  who  wished  to  follow  the  Saviour  and  who 
showed  me  every  kindness  during  my  stay  with 
them.  One  would  boil  my  kettle  over  his  oil  lamp 
so  as  to  make  tea  to  warm  me  :  some  would  help  to 
feed  and  otherwise  attend  to  our  dogs,  while  others 
would  try  and  stop  up  all  the  crevices  of  our  snow 
house  so  as  to  make  it  as  snug  as  possible." 

Reviewing  in  general  terms  his  plan  of  living 
with  the  people  and  going  from  iglo  to  iglo  in  order 
to  teach  them,  Mr.  Peck  says :  "  The  children  I  gener 
ally  gathered  together  in  the  largest  snow  house  I 
could  find.  They  were  then  taught  to  read,  in 
structed  in  the  simpler  truths  of  the  Christian  Faith, 
and  afterwards  catechised  to  test  their  knowledge 
of  the  truths  they  had  heard.  In  the  evening,  after 
the  men  returned  from  hunting,  general  meetings 
were  held,  when,  by  the  light  of  an  oil-lamp,  we 
sang  hymns,  read  alternately,  had  prayer,  and  I 
then  gave  them  a  simple  Gospel  address.  Friends 
may,  perhaps,  think  that  such  work  is  extremely 
trying  and  depressing.  True,  the  cold  is  very 
intense,  but  then  one  should  be  willing  to  "  endure 
hardships  "  for  the  Master's  sake ;  besides  which, 
strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  Eskimos  are  the  heart 
iest  and  happiest  of  people,  so  it  is  quite  my  own 
fault  if  I  feel  dull  amongst  them." 


CHANGED  PLANS  191 

By  August  1891  Mr.  Peck  is  able  to  report  that 
the  work  has  not  suffered  so  much  as  he  had  feared 
it  would  by  the  abandonment  of  Little  Whale 
River.  The  people  began  to  come  to  the  more 
southern  station  in  far  greater  numbers  than  he 
had  expected  them  to  do,  though  there  were  many 
who  would  not  or  could  not  move  so  far.  Some 
owing  to  the  loss  of  their  dogs,  mentioned  in  the 
last  chapter,  were  obliged  to  leave  their  families  on 
the  ice.  The  men  would  then  band  together  and 
haul  their  trading  goods  to  the  place.  The  more 
fortunate,  i.e.,  those  who  had  a  few  dogs,  would 
arrive  with  what  my  Eskimo  friends  call  "  loaded 
sledges  " — a  very  suggestive  and  appropriate  name 
indeed,  especially  when  one  remembers  that  an 
Eskimo  not  only  piles  on  his  sledge  his  bedding, 
clothing,  and  trading  goods,  but  the  younger  mem 
bers  of  the  family  may  often  be  found  lashed  on  top. 

Altogether  it  was  an  encouraging  retrospect 
which  the  missionary  was  able  to  take  from  this 
point  of  time.  "  There  have  been  "  he  says  "  four 
adult  baptisms  during  the  present  year.  All  of 
these  were  in  earnest  about  their  souls,  and  each 
one  was  closely  questioned  regarding  his  know 
ledge,  faith,  and  life  before  being  admitted  into 
the  visible  Church  by  baptism.  We  tried,  with 
God's  help,  to  give  them  a  clear  knowledge  of  the 
Saviour's  work,  and  to  teach  them  the  depravity 
of  their  fallen  nature,  and  their  lost,  sinful  state 


192  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

before  God.  I  am  more  than  ever  convinced 
as  the  years  roll  on,  that  this  is  what  they  need  to 
know.  We  should  not,  of  course,  neglect  to  teach 
them  to  read,  and  to  do  all  we  can  in  other  ways 
to  pour  light  into  their  dark  minds,  but  after  all 
the  fact  remains  that  salvation  is  alone  to  be  found 
in  Christ.  If  we  can  only  draw  our  poor  people 
to}  Jesus,  we  know  they  will  be  safe  both  now  and 
for  ever." 

And  besides  these  baptisms  there  was  great  en 
couragement  in  the  fact  that  he  was  able  to  report 
two  young  Eskimos  newly  installed  as  teachers  to  their 
own  people  and  engaged  in  active  work.  It  is  the 
greatest  possible  satisfaction  to  the  missionary  to 
find  a  spiritual  effective  native  ministry  rising  into 
being.  For  it  matters  not  how  able  a  man  he  may 
be  himself,  how  learned  in  their  language,  he  is 
always  conscious  of  being  a  foreigner  and  of  speak 
ing  more  or  less  with  stammering  lips  and  a  stutter 
ing  tongue.  And  just  as  the  heart  of  St. 
Paul  must  have  rejoiced  when  the  time  had  come 
to  bid  Titus  ordain  a  native  ministry  in  Crete, 
or  as  Hannington,  Parker  and  Tucker  were  en 
couraged  when  they  found  the  Uganda  Church 
naturally  expanding  by  the  birth  of  a  native  minis 
try,  so  Peck  was  able  now  to  thank  God  and  take 
courage  because  the  new  wine  was  fermenting  in 
and  expanding  the  new  wine-skins  of  the  Eskimo 
Church. 


CHANGED  PLANS  193 

But   whatever   causes   of   rejoicing   there   were, 
faith  does  not  go  untried.    Sunshine  and  rain  are 
for  ever  alternating  in  this  life.     And  so  we  read : 
"  One  of  our  students,  who,  I  hoped,  would  in  time 
be  useful  in  God's  work,  died  at  Moose  last  year. 
I  sent  him  to  this  post  for  medical  advice  and 
treatment,  but,  sad  to  say,  the  disease  from  which 
he  was  suffering  developed  into  consumption,  from 
the  effects  of  which   he  soon   passed   away.     Al 
though  this  member  of  our  small  community  had 
given  me  much  sorrow  by  having  fallen  into  sin, 
yet  I  am  thankful  to  say  he  showed  signs  of  real 
repentance,  and  it  gave  me  comfort  to  know  that 
he  passed  away  with  a  simple  trust  in  the  merits 
of  Jesus.     In  connection  with  this  sad  event  I  may 
say  that  the  fearful  mortality  amongst  our  poor 
people  retards  our  efforts  to  raise  up  suitable  teach 
ers  from  among  them.     No  less  than  three  of  our 
helpers  have  died  during  the  last  ten  years,  and 
their  places  can   scarcely  be  filled  before   others 
are  cut  down.    We  can  only  look  up  to  Him  who 
holds  the  keys  of  death  in  His  hands.     He  can 
help  us  in  our  seasons  of  difficulty." 

About  this  time  the  shadow  of  a  great  trial 
was  beginning  to  move  over  the  waste  towards  the 
mission.  It  was,  however,  altogether  unseen  as  yet 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck,  as  will  be  understood  by 
his  words  in  which  he  is  contemplating  fresh  efforts 
in  the  service  of  God  and  his  adopted  people.  "  I 

13 


194  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

have  asked,"  he  says,  "  our  Bishop  to  allow  me  to 
go  to  Ungava  Bay  this  next  summer,  and  to  this 
request  he  has  readily  assented.  You  will  be  sorry 
to  hear  that  the  Roman  Catholics  in  Canada  are 
trying  to  get  a  footing  there,  and  it  behoves  us 
to  do  all  that  lies  in  our  power  to  spread  the  pure 
Gospel  of  God's  grace  and  love  in  that  region  at 
once. 

"  I  only  wish  we  had  a  man  stationed  there.  All 
the  Eskimos  living  on  the  southern  shores  of  Hud 
son's  Straits  assemble  in  the  winter  months  at 
Fort  Chimo  (the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post 
at  Ungava).  There  are  also  some  five  hundred 
Indians  connected  with  the  post,  together  with  a 
large  party  of  English-speaking  residents.  Noth 
ing,  I  am  sure,  would  give  our  Bishop  greater  joy 
than  to  see  this  station  occupied,  and  we  might 
then  look  forward  to  the  time  when  the  whole 
Labrador  peninsula  would  be  won  for  Christ.  We 
have  not  as  yet  an  Eskimo  fitted  to  commence  work 
there  alone.  To  start  the  work  we  need  a  man 
from  home,  and,  with  God's  blessing,  native  help 
will  follow." 

And  the  shadow  fell  in  this  way,  In  August 
1891,  a  third  child  was  born,  Mrs,  Peck  contin 
ued  in  fairly  good  health  until  the  following  Christ 
mas.  Then  the  great  strain  of  exceptionally  trying 
circumstances  broke  her  down.  A  dreary  winter 
came  on.  It  was  unusually  severe  and  the  food 


CHANGED  PLANS  195 

supply  failed.  Mr.  Peck  writes :  "  No  fish,  no  par 
tridges,  no  other  native  fresh  food  could  be  got, 
and  my  dear  one's  illness  assumed  an  alarming 
aspect  which  came  to  a  crisis  in  the  month  of  Febru 
ary.  I  tried  every  possible  means  to  restore  her 
strength,  but  without  avail. 

"  Shut  in  as  we  were  with  ice  and  snow,  we  had 
to  wait  until  the  month  of  June  before  we  could 
think  of  attempting  the  journey  to  Moose,  where 
only  we  could  secure  medical  advice  and  help. 

"  But  when  June  at  last  arrived,  through  the 
unfailing  kindness  of  Mr.  Miles  Spencer  a  boat  was 
prepared  for  the  voyage.  We  made  a  kind  of  tent 
in  the  central  part  of  the  boat,  in  which  we  arranged 
some  bedding  as  best  we  could  in  the  narrow 
cramped  quarters,  and  on  this  we  laid  Mrs.  Peck 
and  the  children. 

"  The  journey  south  was  an  awful  one  for  an 
invalid.  We  travelled  as  far  as  possible  each  day, 
then  made  close  in  for  the  shore,  and  pitched  our 
tent  on  the  land. 

"  At  some  points  we  found  the  driven  ice  packed 
so  close  into  the  shore,  that  we  had  to  hack  a  way 
in  for  the  boat  with  axes. 

"  We  made  a  short  stay  at  Rupert  House,  one 
of  the  posts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and 
at  last  arrived  at  Moose.  We  had  traversed  350 
miles  in  the  way  described,  and  then  it  was  found 
to  be  absolutely  necessary,  on  account  of  Mrs. 


196  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Peck's  health,  that  we  should  proceed  to  England 
at  once." 

Here  then  was  the  hand  of  God  closing  the  door 
for  a  time.  The  missionary  had  his  plans  of  work, 
these  had  to  be  abandoned  ;  he  had  again  essayed 
to  go  to  Ungava  Bay,  but  the  Spirit  suffered  him 
not. 

And  as  events  turned  out  it  was  very  possible 
for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck  to  see  that  it  was  God  who 
was  guiding  them  home.  They  could  rest  in  Him. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Peck  was  most 
anxious  that  a  European  missionary  should  be 
sent  out  to  commence  and  organize  work  among 
the  Eskimos  living  at  Ungava  Bay.  He  had  writ 
ten  home  to  this  effect,  and  now  a  young  man,  the 
Rev.  W.  G.  Walton  was  on  his  voyage  out  in  re 
sponse  to  this  request.  But  in  the  meantime  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  expressed  its  unwil 
lingness  to  allow  a  mission  to  be  started  in  that  region. 
So  it  happened  that  the  travellers  from  Fort  George 
arrived  in  Moose  in  time  to  greet  Mr.  Walton  on 
landing.  We  are  not  then  surprised  to  find  Mr. 
Peck  writing : 

"  How  wondrous  are  God's  ways  of  provision 
for  His  work.  The  same  vessel  on  which  we  em 
barked  for  home  had  brought  out  a  young  man 
(Mr.  W.  G.  Walton)  who,  it  was  intended,  should 
accompany  me  to  Ungava,  and  commence  work 
in  that  region. 


HOME  197 

"  As  I,  however,  had  to  go  home,  and  as  the  way 

to  Ungava  was  closed,  Mr.  Walton  became  God's 

real  provision  for  our  old  stations,  arriving  just  at 

the  moment  of  my  compulsory  departure. 

"  He  has  since  shown  a  wonderful  energy  and  the 
true  missionary  genius,  and  his  efforts  at  our  old 
stations  have  been  crowned  with  blessing. 

"  But  to  return  to  ourselves,  that  voyage  home 
was  one  of  exceptional  danger  and  delay.  For 
eight  weeks  we  were  tossing  about  on  the  mighty 
ocean,  the  sport  of  gale  after  gale,  when  the  strong 
and  terrible  ocean  seemed  ever  to  mock  us,  crying  : 

'  I  threw  my  fleecy  blanket  up  over  my  shoulders  bare, 
I  raised  my  head  in  triumph,  and  tossed  my  grizzled  hair ; 
For  I  knew  that  some  time — some  time — 
White-robed  ships  would  venture  from  out  the  placid  bay, 
Forth  to  my  heaving  bosom,  my  lawful  pride  and  prey ; ' 

"  But  He  who  of  old  time  spoke  the  words,  *  Peace, 
be  still ! '  bade  the  Atlantic  gales  cease.  When 
finally  the  winds  moderated,  we  found  ourselves 
275  miles  further  from  England  than  when  the 
gales  assailed  us. 

"  During  that  awful  time  another  danger  threat 
ened  us,  for  our  ballast  shifted  ;  and  once  we 
were  all  but  run  down  by  a  passing  steamer.  But 
at  last  we  were  brought  home  in  safety,  and  our 
feet  stood  once  more  on  our  native  soil." 

Every  returned  missionary  of  the  Church  Mis- 


igS  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.  PECK 

sionary  Society  reports  himself  to,  and  is  inter 
viewed  by,  the  Committee  in  Salisbury  Square. 
The  work  and  prospects  in  the  missionary's  parti 
cular  sphere  naturally  come  under  discussion. 
In  the  present  case  we  have  an  interesting  sum 
mary  published  by  the  Society. 

"  The  Committee  had  the  pleasure  of  an  inter 
view  with  the  Rev.  E.  J.  Peck,  recently  returned 
from  Fort  George.  Mr.  Peck  regretted  having 
been  compelled  by  family  circumstances  to  come 
home  earlier  than  he  had  expected.  He  had 
searched  out  the  Eskimos  to  the  utmost  of  his  power  ; 
140  adults  were  now  under  instruction,  of  whom 
eighty  are  baptized.  He  had  trained  five  Eskimo 
teachers,  of  whom  three  have  died,  and  two  are 
now  at  work.  He  had  translated  many  portions 
of  the  New  Testament  into  the  local  Eskimo  dia 
lect.  The  Indians  had  been  nearly  all  baptized 
before  he  went  there.  He  urged  on  the  Committee 
the  spiritual  needs  of  the  Eskimos  north  of  Hud 
son's  Bay ;  and  expressed  his  willingness  to  go 
amongst  them  in  whaling  vessels,  if  a  younger  man 
would  take  his  present  work." 

In  the  light  of  subsequent  events  we  can  see  that 
his  steps  were  directed  to  England  for  God's  pur 
pose  to  be  fulfilled.  He  was,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
being  led  like  Abram,  who  was  to  go  forth  to  a 
land  that  God  would  show  him,  or  like  Paul  who 
was  to  be  sent  "  far  hence  to  the  Gentiles."  He 


HOME  199 

was  to  be  taken  at  his  word.    For  some  time  pre 
vious  to  his  home  coming  he  had  written : 

"  In  my  last  letter  I  alluded  to  the  need  of  more 
active  measures  being  taken  by  the  Church  of  God 
at  large  for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  Eskimo 
race.     The  most  I  can  do  is  to  grapple  with  the 
people  living  on  this  coast,  the  extent  of  which  is 
six  hundred  miles.     It  is  true  the    Eskimos  do 
travel  great  distances,  but  there  are  certain  geo 
graphical  features  of  their  country,   or,   I  should 
rather  say,   countries,   which  confine  them,   as  it 
were,    to    particular    localities,    and    which    make 
further    intercourse    impossible.     Thus    we    have 
the  Eskimos  of  many  regions  out  of  reach  of  our 
influence,  viz.,  those  living  on  the  northern  shores 
of  Hudson's  Strait,  Davis  Strait,  Baffin  Bay,  the 
lands    visited    by    Franklin,     McClintock,    Parry, 
Kane,  and  others,  together  with  Alaska  and  por 
tions  of  the  northern  shores  of  Russia.     But,  it 
may  be  asked,  how  are  these  isolated,  scattered 
people  to  be  reached  ?     The  answer  is  plain.    The 
Church  of  God  must  show  as  much  zeal  and  perse 
verance  in  seeking  these  lost  souls  as  others  do  for 
purposes  of  trade  and  objects  of  discovery.     It  is 
a  fact  that  nearly  all  the  places  named  are  visited 
by  whaling- vessels,  some  of  which  (I  have  been 
told)  winter  in  the  countries  they  visit.     Various 
Arctic  explorers  have  come  in  contact  with  the 
people  from  time  to  time,  and  much  might  have 


200  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

been  done  by  this  agency,  had  God's  people  in 
England  and  other  countries  been  really  in  earnest. 
Again,  surely  it  is  not  too  much  to  expect  that  in 
God's  good  time  we  may  see  an  Arctic  expedition 
fitted  out  expressly  for  the  object  of  seeking  out 
these  poor  lost  Eskimos !  Various  criticisms  have 
been  made  regarding  the  practical  utility  of  a 
North-West  Passage,  even  if  discovered  by  the 
brave  men  who  from  time  to  time  have  pressed 
into  these  frozen  regions ;  but  there  is  something 
tangible  and  real  in  following  the  example  of  Him 
who  '  humbled  Himself,  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  Cross,'  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 


CHAPTER  XI 

A   NEW    VENTURE 
"Launch  out  into  the  deep" 

IT  was  clearly  stated  in  the  last  chapter  that 
Mr.  Peck  held  strong  views  about  the  duty  of  the 
Christian  Church  to  obey  the  simple  command 
of  Christ  and  to  seek  and  save  the  lost  whether  in 
Arctic  wilds  or  arid  desert.  But  when  a  man 
holds  strong  views  and  is  himself  perfectly  earnest, 
it  is  but  a  step  from  advocacy  to  practice,  and  so 
we  are  scarcely  surprised,  although  we  admire, 
when  we  are  told  that  Mr.  Peck  himself  began  to 
contemplate  going  further  north  among  Eskimos 
who  had  never  been  reached  before  by  any  Christian 
effort. 

The  possibility  of  doing  this  was  presented  to 
him  by  the  impossibility  for  some  years  to  come 
of  his  wife  being  able  to  return  with  him  to  mis 
sionary  work.  Thus  he  argued  that  he  might 
leave  the  old  field  for  other  workers  and  explore 
new  regions  where  as  yet  no  lady  could  go. 

Under  these  circumstances  Mr.  Peck  opened  up 

201 


202  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

his  mind  to  the  Rev.  David  Fenn,  one  of  the  Secre 
taries  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  The  latter 
entered  with  much  sympathy  into  the  proposal,  and 
advised  him  to  write  to  the  Rev.  Sholto  Douglas, 
incumbent  of  St.  Silas,  Glasgow,  as  being  likely 
to  put  him  in  touch  with  merchants  and  others 
who  had  dealings  with  the  more  distant  Eskimos. 

The  result  of  this  was  that  Mr.  Douglas  gave  the 
missionary  an  introduction  to  a  member  of  his 
congregation,  who  was  intimately  connected  with 
the  shipping  interest,  and  ultimately  he  became 
acquainted  with  Mr.  C.  Noble. 

It  so  happened  in  the  providence  of  God  that 
this  gentleman  about  a  week  before  had  completed 
the  purchase  of  a  whaling  station,  Blacklead  Island, 
in  Cumberland  Sound,  and  now  he  was  pleased 
to  offer  a  passage  free  of  charge  for  the  missionary 
and  his  goods  to  this  spot,  and  to  allow  him  to  take 
up  his  residence  there. 

And  so  with  this  opening  before  him  Mr.  Peck  once 
more  went  back  to  Salisbury  Square,  and  there  the 
Committee  sanctioned  this  new  departure  on  con 
dition  that  a  colleague  could  be  found  to  join  him 
in  this  newest  venture  of  faith. 

If  the  work  be  of  men,  it  will  come  to  nought. 
We  may  say  this  with  Gamaliel.  And  God  showed 
that  it  was  not  of  men,  for  He  had  simultaneously 
with  the  happening  of  these  events  been  preparing 
the  necessary  colleague. 


A    NEW    VENTURE  203 

The  anniversary  meetings  of  the  Church  Mis 
sionary  Society  in  Exeter  Hall  came  on.  Mr. 
Peck  was  one  of  the  appointed  speakers.  No 
wonder  with  all  his  fire  of  love  for  the  Arctic  wan 
derers,  he  put  forth  a  fervent  appeal  for  young 
men.  There  was  in  the  audience  listening  to  his 
words  a  former  student  of  the  Society's  Institution 
at  Clapham,  Mr.  J.  C.  Parker,  who  had  received 
a  medical  training.  He  had  felt  constrained  to 
abandon  his  intention  of  being  a  missionary  on 
account  of  the  state  of  his  father's  health.  He 
had  concluded  that  his  duty  was  at  home.  But 
now  things  had  changed.  Since  he  had  left  Clap- 
ham  his  younger  brother  had  grown  up  and  was 
able  to  take  his  place.  So  when  he  heard  the 
appeal,  "  Who  will  go  for  us  ?  "  his  heart  responded 
with  a  complete  surrender.  "  Here  am  I,  send  me." 
And  so  the  last  link  in  the  chain  was  forged.  The 
project  was  acknowledged  of  God,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  centuries  ago  had  said,  "  Separate  me 
Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have 
called  them,"  said  the  same  thing  in  equally  clear 
terms  now  in  the  case  of  Peck  and  Parker. 

It  was  said  that  the  last  link  in  the  chain  was 
forged.  But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
chain  would  have  been  useless  without  another 
worker  who  must  not  be  forgotten.  This  was  Mrs. 
Peck.  She  worked  and  suffered  as  truly  as 
those  whom  the  Church  was  about  to  send  forth. 


204  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

It  was  no  small  thing  for  her  in  her  weak  con 
dition,  and  with  her  little  children  round  her, 
heroically  to  face  the  prospect  of  separation 
and  her  husband's  utter  isolation  from  the 
world.  But  she  did  face  it,  and  argued  that  God 
who  was  calling  her  husband  forth  would  not  only 
go  with  him  but  would  also  remain  with  her  and 
her  family.  Mr.  Peck  writes  concerning  this 
time,  "  I  may  truly  say  that  I  never  could  have 
gone  forward  to  prosecute  this  new  work  but  for 
the  prayers,  the  hearty  sympathy,  and  the  cordial 
consent  of  my  dear  wife." 

On  May  8,  1894,  the  two  brethren  were  com 
mended  to  God  by  the  Committee  in  Salisbury 
Square,  and  on  May  n  Mr.  Peck  writes  to  their 
supporters : 

"  As  many  friends  have  expressed  a  wish  to  follow 
us  definitely  in  prayer  when  we  (D.V.)  go  forward 
to  our  new  work  at  Cumberland  Sound,  may  I 
mention  the  following  particulars  ? 

"  The  vessel  will  leave  Scotland  on  the  20th  of 
June,  and  the  voyage  out  will  probably  take  about 
eight  weeks. 

"  After  landing  cargo  the  vessel  returns  to  Scot 
land  in  the  autumn  of  this  year,  and  there  is  a 
probability  of  our  not  hearing  from  the  outer 
world  until  the  vessel  returns  to  Cumberland  Sound 
in  the  summer  of  1896,  viz.,  in  two  years'  time. 


A    NEW    VENTURE  205 

44  In  going  forward  into  the  very  Arctic  regions 
to  seek  out  the  scattered  sheep  in  the  wilderness, 
we  feel  we  shall  have  in  a  very  special  manner  the 
prayers  and  sympathy  of  many  of  God's  dear  people. 
Great  has  been  the  kindness  and  great  the  sympathy 
shown  to  me  as  I  have  gone  to  many  a  bright 
Christian  home  in  England,  and  it  will  be  a  tower 
of  strength  when  far  away  to  remember  that  one 
is  compassed  about  with  a  host  of  praying  friends. 
And  then,  best  of  all.  '  God  is  with  us.'  His  pro 
mise  shall  never  fail :  *  Behold,  I  am  with  thee, 
and  will  keep  thee  in  all  places  whither  thou  goest, 
and  will  bring  thee  again  into  this  land  ;  for  I  will 
not  leave  thee  until  I  have  done  that  which  I  have 
spoken  to  thee  of." 

The  ship  was,  however,  somewhat  delayed,  and 
it  was  not  until  June  27  that  Mr.  Peck  finally 
separated  from  his  loved  ones. 

About  the  start,  he  writes: 

11  At  Euston  Station,  near  the  time  of  departure 
(8  p.m.),  we  had  quite  a  company  present  to  bid  us 
God-speed,  for  not  only  were  my  dear  wife  and 
her  brother,  the  Rev.  W.  Coleman,  and  Mr.  Parker's 
dear  ones  there,  but,  to  our  great  astonishment,  a 
large  band  of  the  brethren  from  Islington  College 
had  gathered  to  speed  our  going  and  to  wish  us  every 
joy  and  blessing  in  the  work. 

"  As  the  train  left  the  station,  these  dear  brethren 
ran  along  the  side  of  the  train  and  cheered  us  most 


206  THE   LIFE   OF   E.  J.  PECK 

lustily.  I  do  not,  of  course,  know  what  a  certain 
titled  man,  who  had  a  stately  saloon  and  a  large 
retinue  of  servants,  all  to  himself,  thought  of  these 
strange  proceedings,  but  certainly  we  felt  greatly 
cheered  and  comforted  by  knowing  that  so  many  of 
the  servants  of  our  God  and  King  had  forgotten 
neither  us  nor  our  work — our  work  which  is  His. 

"  Once  clear  of  the  station  the  mighty  express 
swept  on  at  terrific  speed  on  its  long  journey  north. 
All  that  we  loved  and  held  dear  were  now  left  be 
hind,  and  one's  heart  grew  full,  and  there  were 
moments  which  were  overwhelming. 

"  Then  one  took  up  the  parable  against  oneself 
and  cried  :  '  But  why  art  thou  disquieted  within 
me,  O  my  soul  ?  For  whose  sake  art  thou  leaving 
all  ?  Hope  thou  in  God.  Remember  the  ex 
ceeding  love  of  Him  who  died  for  thee  upon  the 
Cross  of  shame  and  for  His  sake  cheerfully  bear 
the  Cross.'  " 

The  travellers  arrived  at  Aberdeen  about  8  a.m. 
the  following  morning,  but  they  were  doomed  still 
to  some  days  of  waiting.  The  time  of  sailing  of 
a  vessel  for  a  whaling  station  is  not  characterized 
by  the  precision  of  the  P.  and  O.  or  a  great  Atlantic 
line.  It  must  have  been  somewhat  trying  to  the 
missionaries  to  reflect  that  they  might  have  spent 
these  days  with  the  loved  ones  from  whom  they 
had  parted  in  London.  But  there  is  no  sound  of 
a  far-off  murmur  or  sign  of  irritation.  They  went 


THE    "  ALERT  "    IN   SAILING    ICE. 


A    NEW    VENTURE  207 

on  to  Peterhead,  and  there  made  use  of  their  time 
in  making  preparations,  in  prayer,  in  gaining  in 
formation  and  also  in  open  air  preaching.  Of 
the  last  Mr.  Peck  says,  "  The  attention  was  very 
marked,  and  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  God 
blessed  the  Word  to  some  souls." 

During  these  days  of  waiting  Mr.  Peck  was 
interviewed  by  a  representative  of  the  Sentinel 
newspaper.  The  report  of  this  interview  occupied 
a  whole  page  and  contained  a  vast  amount  of 
interesting  matter,  but  as  it  was  taken  up  almost 
entirely  with  a  retrospect  of  work  on  the  shores 
of  Hudson's  Bay,  it  is  not  necessary  to  reproduce 
it  here.  It  is  mentioned  here  only  as  additional 
evidence  bearing  upon  the  fact  which  has  become 
abundantly  evident  of  late  years,  viz.,  that  the 
work  of  foreign  missions  has  more  and  more 
assumed  a  position  of  importance  in  the  eyes  of 
the  general  public. 

It  was  not  until  Monday,  July  9,  that  the  two 
missionaries  signed  articles  at  the  Customs  House 
and  so  became  members  of  the  ship's  company. 
The  vessel,  which  was  called  the  Alert,  a  whaling 
brig,  registered  to  carry  129  tons,  was  only 
ninety  feet  in  length  and  twenty-one  in  breadth. 
The  crew  numbered  eight  men,  exclusive,  we  presume, 
of  the  chaplain  and  surgeon.  She  was  not  chartered 
to  carry  passengers  and  so  Mr.  Peck  signed  for 
the  voyage  as  chaplain  and  Mr.  Parker  as  surgeon. 


208  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

"  On  Tuesday,  July  10,"  Mr.  Peck  writes,  "  every 
thing  being  ready  we  went  down  to  the  vessel. 
We  met  several  friends  who  wished  us  every  bless 
ing  on  our  voyage  and  work.  As  the  mouth  of 
the  harbour  is  very  narrow  we  had  to  employ  a 
tug,  which  had  not  towed  us  very  far  before  she 
broke  down,  one  of  her  boiler  plates  having  given 
way.  This  necessitated  our  return  to  as  near 
our  old  berth  as  we  could  get.  God  is  doubtless 
overruling  all  for  His  glory  and  our  good." 

At  last  on  Friday,  July  13,  a  fortnight  after 
the  arrival  of  the  two  missionaries  at  Peterhead,  the 
Alert  finally  cleared  the  port.  Numbers  of  people 
gathered  to  see  them  off,  who  sped  them  on  their 
way  with  three  resounding  British  cheers.  Nothing 
further  could  be  heard  of  or  from  the  travellers 
until  the  return  ship  brought  letters  in  the  autumn. 

Mr.  Parker's  letter,  which  was  written  on  Sep 
tember  14,  1894,  is  interesting  as  giving  the  freshness 
of  impressions  made  on  one  who  had  never  sailed 
in  Arctic  seas  before . 

"  We  made  a  good  passage,  a  possible  average 
of  five  knots  an  hour.  August  6  gave  us  an  intro 
duction  to  the  ice  in  the  shape  of  some  immense 
bergs.  A  just  description  of  them  is  beyond  me. 
They  fill  one  with  admiration  by  day,  but  at  night 
their  presence  creates  fear.  We  met  a  pack  of 
ice  in  Davis  Strait.  When  in  latitude  65°  N.  we 
came  to  an  immense  field  of  it.  A  skilful  navigator 


A    NEW    VENTURE  209 

is  required  in  these  high  latitudes,  for  the  ice  is 
very  uncertain  and  treacherous  in  the  summer 
season.  To  me  sailing  among  the  ice  is  very  ex 
citing,  and  adds  that  feeling  of  dignity  which  arises 
from  a  sense  of  danger.  How  shall  I  describe 
to  you  the  loud  report  of  the  ice  when  breaking  up  ? 
I  call  it  that  of  Arctic  artillery.  The  snow-clad 
heights  of  the  distant  land,  when  bathed  in  the 
light  of  an  evening  sunset,  were  a  sight  most  lovely, 
and  in  their  ever-varying  shades  of  colour  defy 
description. 

"  On  Saturday,  August  18,  we  sighted  and  wel 
comed  the  gigantic  old  rocks  of  Cape  Mercy.  As 
seen  from  off  the  sea  the  land  here  is  high,  bold  and 
rugged,  with  much  of  the  iron-rust  look  about 
it,  while  the  total  absence  of  trees,  so  essential  to 
our  English  eyes,  strikes  one  painfully.  Still  these 
have  a  beauty  all  their  own  at  daydawn  and  sunset, 
besides  the  glory  of  their  primaeval  ruggedness. 

"  We  dropped  anchor  off  Blacklead  Island  on 
August  21.  Eskimo  boats  were  soon  alongside, 
and  we  had  an  early  introduction  to  the  Arctic 
aristocracy.  The  island,  as  its  name  indicates, 
contains  the  mineral  blacklead.  It  is  a  small, 
high,  barren  rock.  It  is  a  two  hours'  walk  round 
it  on  the  frozen  sea.  Its  vegetation  is  very  meagre. 
I  can  find  no  shrub  six  inches  high  ;  there  is  a  little 
grass,  moss,  lichens,  and  the  berry-bearing  heath 
(Andromeda  tetragona)" 


210  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Mr.  Peck  also  writes  about  his  first  impressions 
of  his  new  home.  After  talking  of  the  voyage 
generally,  and  of  his  ministrations  to  the  crew  of 
eight  hands,  he  goes  on  :  "  Speaking  of  the  nature 
of  the  country  near  Cumberland  Sound,  it  has  a 
decidedly  forbidding  and  desolate  aspect,  and  the 
rugged  mountain  tops  rise  hundreds  of  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea  and  are  still  in  many 
places  covered  with  a  white  mantle  of  snow.  On 
landing  we  had  the  pleasure  of  finding  in  the  shel 
tered  spots  some  signs  of  vegetable  life.  These, 
however,  were  chiefly  of  the  nature  of  grasses  ; 
not  a  tree  or  a  shrub  could  be  found." 

First  impressions  were  confirmed  by  after  ex 
perience,  for  a  little  later  on  Mr.  Peck  wrote : 
"  In  very  truth  this  island  is  a  gloomy-looking 
spot,  almost  absolutely  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
rocks,  and  the  bones  of  whales  which  strew  the 
place  everywhere.  Sometimes  in  a  particularly 
sheltered  spot,  one  may  come  across  a  tuft  of 
coarse,  stunted  grass." 

After  landing  the  missionaries  and  their  property, 
the  Alert  sailed  on  Monday,  August  27,  for  Kikker- 
ton,  another  whaling  station  belonging  to  Mr.  Noble, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  Cumberland  Sound.  To 
avoid  delay,  however,  and  possibly  to  retain  her 
ballast,  she  did  not  discharge  the  coal  belonging 
to  Mr.  Peck,  amounting  to  fifteen  tons.  The 
arrangement  was  that  she  should  return  to  Black- 


THE   SETTLEMENT   ON   BLACKLEAD   ISLAND,   CUMBERLAND  SOUND. 


A    NEW    VENTURE  211 

lead  Island  a  little  later,  deliver  the  coal  and  pick 
up  her  own  stores  and  cargo  for  the  return  voyage. 

She  came  back  in  three  weeks'  time  on  September 
20,  but  in  a  sorry  condition.  During  a  heavy  gale 
she  had  struck  a  huge  piece  of  ice,  and  it  was  only 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  she  was  kept 
afloat  long  enough  to  reach  Blacklead  Island. 

The  first  thing  now  to  be  done  was  to  lighten 
the  vessel  in  every  possible  way,  and  Friday ,the  2ist, 
was  a  busy  day  with  everyone,  Eskimos,  missionaries, 
and  vessel's  crew  unloading  the  Alert  of  all  that 
could  be  taken  out  of  her.  The  fifteen  tons  of  coal, 
among  other  things,  were  safely  landed  and  stored, 
and  with  a  burst  of  very  natural  gratitude,  Mr. 
Peck  writes  in  his  diary,  under  that  date: 

"  To  God  be  the  praise  for  His  exceeding  kind 
ness  to  usward  in  this  matter  !  What  a  mercy  that  we 
were  not  left  without  fuel  in  this  miserable  region  !  " 

On  September  22  they  were  able  to  get  the  Alert 
round  to  a  place  on  the  mainland,  called  Niatalik. 
In  a  few  days  she  returned  fitted  as  far  as  was 
possible  for  the  voyage  to  Scotland.  In  this  in 
terval  Mr.  Peck  writes  :  "  We  have  now  to  spend 
some  time  writing  our  home  letters,as  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  we  shall  have  no  other  opportunity 
for  two  years,  so  we  must  make  the  most  of  this." 
St.  Paul  spoke  of  loneliness  among  the  trials  that 
he  had  to  undergo.  What  words  can  describe 
the  solitude  and  isolation  of  Blacklead  Island  ? 


212  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

On  September  29  we  find  the  entry,  "  Alert  sailed 
to-day.  We  went  on  board,  and  bade  farewell  to 
everyone.  May  God  bless  them  and  give  every 
one  His  presence  and  a  safe  passage.  What  thoughts 
crowded  into  one's  mind  as  this  one  last  connecting 
link  with  the  homeland  and  dear  ones  was  severed  ! 
But  God  is  near.  He  is  true  and  faithful." 

And  so  when  the  Alert  had  brought  those  home 
letters  to  their  destination,  the  receivers  imagined 
that  the  curtain  had  fallen  upon  that  little  corner 
of  the  great  vineyard,  and  that  it  would  not  be 
lifted  to  reveal  the  fruit  of  the  labour  or  any  details 
of  the  lives  of  the  solitary  workers  until  two  years 
should  have  rolled  by. 

But  on  October  10  the  unexpected  happened. 
Two  whaling  vessels  called  at  the  station,  and  the 
missionaries  were  enabled  to  send  later  letters  by 
them.  By  these,  as  well  as  by  those  sent  on  the 
earlier  date,  we  have  a  good  insight  given  us  into 
the  commencement  of  the  work. 

It  has  been  remarked  in  an  earlier  chapter  that 
the  language  of  the  Eskimos  all  over  their  wide 
range  of  territory,  from  Behring  Straits  to  Greenland, 
is  the  same  with  only  slight  dialectic  differences. 
Happily,  on  going  among  the  people  on  Blacklead 
Island,  Mr.  Peck  found  the  truth  of  this.  He  writes 
in  his  diary  :  "  The  people  seemed  perfectly  amazed 
to  find  that  I  could  speak  their  language,  for  I  found 
practically  no  difference  in  the  speech  of  these 


A    NEW    VENTURE  213 

people  and  that  of  those  to  whom  I  had  ministered 
in  Whale  River  and  Fort  George. 

"I  shook  hands  with  many  of  them  (for  they 
do  not  rub  noses  now  as  they  did  when  first  the 
white  man  discovered  them).  I  explained  why 
we  had  come,  not  as  traders,  but  as  tellers  of  God's 
good  news. 

"  This  was  too  wonderful  for  them  to  compre 
hend,  but  the  time  was  soon  to  come  when  they 
would  understand  our  meaning." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  two  missionaries  a  hut 
belonging  to  Mr.  Noble  was  lent  them.  It  con 
sisted  of  two  rooms,  each  about  ten  feet  square. 
One  was  used  as  kitchen  and  schoolroom,  the  other 
as  bed,  sitting-room,  and  study  combined.  Mr. 
Parker  wrote  that  their  first  work  was  the  repairing, 
fitting  up  and  arrangement  of  this  abode.  "  Our 
aim,"  he  adds,  "  has  been  to  make  it  throughout 
as  bright  and  home-like  as  possible.  The  newly- 
fallen  snow  lies  on  all  the  surrounding  hills — sweet 
emblem  of  purity  and  of  the  sin-cleansed  soul 
through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  So  now  we  are 
looking  for  God's  blessing  to  rest  on  us  as  we  begin 
this  real  Arctic  Mission  to  these  <s  other  sheep  "  who 
belong  to  Jesus  in  this  cold,  lone  land.  Brethren, 
pray  for  us,  that  our  faith  fail  not." 

The  list  of  stores  needed  to  start  their  house 
keeping  is  at  first  sight  somewhat  appalling.  It 
is — 


214 


THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 


15  tons. 

i  ton. 

i  ton. 

8  cwt. 

1 80  Ibs. 

800  Ibs. 
6  cwt. 
i  ton. 

1  cwt. 

2  cwt. 

i  barrel. 


Coal   . 

Wood 

Flour 

Sugar 

Tea     . 

Preserved    meat,    with    desiccatec. 

and    preserved    vegetables 
Oatmeal      . 
Ship's    Biscuit 
Jams  . 
Soap  . 
Paraffin  Oil 
Methylated  Spirits. 

Articles  of  barter,  such  as  knives,  pipes,  tobacco,  scissors, 
etc.,  etc. 

Some  items  in  this  list  may  seem  to  be  excessive, 
but  several  things  have  to  be  borne  in  mind.  Firstly, 
everything,  even  down  to  the  sticks  for  burning, 
had  to  be  imported  from  home.  Then  there  was 
the  probability  that  they  would  be  cut  off  from 
home  for  two  years,  as  it  was  not  thought  likely 
that  there  would  be  enough  produce  from  the 
whale  fishery  to  justify  the  vessel  coming  from 
Scotland  to  fetch  it  oftener  than  every  other  year. 
So  they  must  be  provisioned  for  that  time  at  least. 
Lastly,  there  was  always  the  possibility  of  their 
Eskimo  friends  being  actually  in  distress  from  time 
to  time  from  scarcity  of  food.  In  such  cases  the 
missionaries  must  have  the  means  of  succouring  them. 

As  soon  as  they  had  taken  possession  of  their 
hut,  the  two  brethren  settled  down  into  a  systema 
tic  life.  The  usual  routine,  Mr.  Peck  tells  us,  was  as 
follows :  Rise  6.45  a.m.,  light  fires,  prepare  break- 


A    NEW    VENTURE  215 

fast ;  breakfast  8  a.m.,  prayers  8.30  a.m. ;  study  of 
Eskimo  language  with  Mr.  Parker  from  9  a.m. 
to  10  a.m. ;  visiting  and  preparing  Eskimo  addresses 
from  10  a.m.  to  noon.  Then  came  the  preparation 
of  dinner.  Dinner  i  p.m.,  private  reading  and  study 
from  2  p.m.  to  3  p.m.,  school  for  children  from 
3  p.m.  to  4.15  p.m.,  visiting  and  exercise  from 
4.15  p.m.  to  5.30  p.m.,  tea  5.30  p.m. ;  after  tea, 
prepare  for  evening  meeting,  which  is  at  7.30  p.m. ; 
after  the  meeting,  study  of  the  language  with 
Eskimos ;  family  prayer  at  10  p.m.  ;  then  private 
reading  and  devotion  till  10.45  p.m.  This  ended 
the  day  and  bed  had  been  earned. 

"  God  blesses  the  days,"  Mr.  Peck  continues, 
"  as  they  roll  on,  and  one  feels  time  too  short  to 
do  all  that  ought  to  be  done." 

School  for  the  children,  it  will  be  noticed,  occu 
pies  a  recognized  place  in  the  day's  routine.  This 
was  one  of  the  first  things  taken  in  hand.  As 
early  as  September  9  this  entry  is  found  in  Mr. 
Peck's  diary  :  "  Visited  several  of  the  tents,  and 
asked  the  parents  if  we  might  have  the  children  to 
teach  them.  To  this  proposal  they  readily  assented, 
and  to  our  dismay  the  little  ones  came  in  such 
numbers  that  we  could  hardly  find  room  to  stow 
them  all  away."  They  proved  to  be  very  intelligent 
and  eager  to  learn,  and  the  missionaries  were  much 
encouraged.  Frequently  notes  are  found  to  the 
effect  that  the  children  were  very  attentive,  learning 


216  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

their  hymns,  repeating  verses  of  Scripture,  or  en 
deavouring  to  master  the  syllabic  character. 

At  an  early  date  after  their  arrival  the  mis 
sionaries  took  a  census  of  the  population  of  Black- 
lead  Island.  They  found  there  were  forty  tents, 
and  the  people  inhabiting  them  numbered  171. 
Perhaps  the  reader  will  exclaim,  What  a  handful 
of  persons  to  call  forth  two  men  from  home 
comforts  to  the  dreary  surroundings  of  an  Arctic 
whaling  station.  Surely  there  is  waste  of  energy 
and  time  and  money  here  ! 

Well,  the  fewer  and  more  degraded  the  people, 
the  more  is  our  admiration  compelled  for  those 
who  will  go  forth  to  care  for  them.  For  they  are 
far  removed  from  any  hope  of  honour  or  distinction 
in  this  world.  Anyhow,  we  should  bear  in  mind  that 
Jesus  Christ  before  He  came  to  earth  was  not  moved 
by  specious  arguments  about  waste.  He  left  count 
less  realms  of  glory  to  come  to  our  poor,  dark, 
fallen  corner  of  God's  great  universe.  Mr.  Peck, 
too,  did  not  view  his  position  as  wanting  in  im 
portance.  His  exclamation  about  the  171  persons 
is,  "  Quite  a  number  of  precious  souls  for  which  to 
give  an  account  to  the  Master !  May  He  fill  me 
with  a  burning  zeal  for  their  salvation  !  " 

One  thing  the  new  mission  stood  in  need  of,  and 
that  was  a  place  of  meeting  where  the  people  could 
assemble  for  worship  and  instruction  and  the 
children  could  come  together  for  school.  This 


A    NEW    VENTURE  217 

want  was  supplied  by  the  Eskimos  themselves. 
As  early  as  October  3,  Mr.  Peck  writes  in  his  diary  : 
"  Two  Eskimos  are  busy  making  the  frame  of  a  tent, 
which  we  hope  to  have  ready  by  Sunday  "  ;  and  two 
days  later  we  hear  of  its  progress,  and  of  the  great 
interest  which  the  men  are  taking  in  its  construc 
tion.  This  true  tabernacle  of  witness  to  the  presence 
of  God  in  Cumberland  Sound  was  ready  in  time,  and 
when  Sunday,  October  7,  was  over,  we  read  that  it 
had  been  "  a  very  happy  but  wearing  day.  We  visited 
the  people  from  tent  to  tent,  and  invited  them  to 
come  to  our  opening  meeting.  Many  came,  and 
they  joined  heartily  in  the  few  hymns  they  knew. 
On  the  whole  we  have  much  cause  to  thank  God. 
The  tent  is  about  twenty  feet  long  and  ten  feet 
broad.  Two  long  seats  are  placed  along  the  sides 
on  which  the  people  sit.  The  women,  quite  by 
choice,  like  to  sit  together  on  one  side. 

"  It  is  an  encouraging  fact  that  the  tent  was  made 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  material  provided  by 
the  Eskimos  themselves." 


CHAPTER  XII 

DAYBREAK   IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND 
"There  shall  be  no  night  there" 

WHEN  the  two  whalers,  that  called  unexpectedly 
at  Blacklead  Island  on  October  10,  sailed 
away  to  more  genial  climes,  the  weather  began  to 
wax  more  severe  ;  the  nights  became  longer,  the 
days  shorter ;  the  ice  formed  and  came  closer  and 
closer  round  the  island,  and  silence,  as  far  as  the 
outer  world  was  concerned,  fell  upon  the  little 
station.  "  Quis  separabit "  may  be  a  good  motto 
for  the  largest  shipping  company  of  the  world,  but 
the  question  will  hardly  bear  a  satisfactory  answer 
as  regards  the  navigation  of  Arctic  seas  in  the  winter. 

The  long  dreary  winter,  the  darkness  that  over 
shadows  an  Arctic  station,  and  the  complete  isola 
tion  in  which  it  is  cut  off,  might  almost  be  taken  as 
symbolic  of  the  degradation  of  life  of  the  inhabi 
tants,  of  the  spiritual  darkness  of  the  kingdom  of 
Satan,  and  of  the  power  of  sin  to  separate  from  the 
joys  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

And  as  the  two  messengers  of  Light  settled  down 
to  their  work  in  this  condition  of  things,  we  can 

218 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  219 

readily  suppose  that  the  words  of  Christ  after  His 
Resurrection,  "  As  my  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even 
so  send  I  you,"  must  have  been  comforting  to  them. 
Whether  or  not  they  recognized  the  likeness  between 
Him,Who  left  His  home  on  high  for  a  world  of  dark 
ness,  and  themselves,  it  is  possible  for  the  onlooker 
or  the  reader  to  do  so. 

In  Mr.  Peck's  diary  we  find  entries  concerning 
the  weather  from  time  to  time,  which  certainly 
would  not  encourage  the  pleasure-seeker  to  shape 
his  course  for  Cumberland  Sound.  In  the  begin 
ning  of  November  we  read  of  six  degrees  below  zero, 
then  of  twenty.  Again,  by  November  23,  twenty- 
eight  degrees  below  zero  are  registered,  and  then  is 
the  significant  note :  "  I  am  told  that  over  fifty 
degrees  below  zero  is  not  uncommon  here."  A  few 
days  later  the  sea  was  frozen  over  near  "  our  island 
home,  and  we  can  now  walk  on  the  ice.  This  is  a 
great  treat,  as  the  walking  on  our  rocky  island  is 
really  most  trying." 

The  darkness  and  the  cold  ran  a  race  together. 
It  is  a  constant  thing  to  read  of  lamps  being  required 
nearly  the  whole  day.  In  the  latitude  of  Blacklead 
Island  the  sun  is  not  wholly  obscured  for  the  whole 
of  any  one  day  in  the  winter ;  or  perhaps  it  would 
be  more  correct  to  say  that  on  the  shortest  day  he 
does  just  rise  above  the  horizon,  for  he  may  be 
obscured  by  bad  weather.  On  December  19  :  "  The 
days  are  very  short  now ;  the  sun  was  first  seen  at 


220  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

11.25  a.m.,  and  set  again  at  12.30  p.m."  And  once 
more,  early  in  the  following  month,  it  is :  "No  sun 
to-day.  We  do  miss  his  genial  rays.  But  Jesus, 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  does  not  leave  us  without 
His  soul-reviving  presence." 

Mr.  Peck's  notes  on  December  21,  when  the 
weather  happened  to  be  bright  and  clear,  were  : 
"  On  this  the  shortest  day  I  was  able  to  watch  the 
course  of  the  sun  and  take  observations.  At  no 
time  of  day  did  we  see  the  full  orb  of  the  sun.  The 
upper  portion  could  be  seen  altogether  for  about 
one  hour  and  ten  minutes  ;  the  half  orb  was  visible 
about  fifteen  minutes,  and  threequarters  for  about 
ten  minutes."  The  weather  was  very  cold  ;  the 
thermometer  stood  about  25°  below  zero,  and  there 
was  a  strong  wind.  During  the  night  the  sky  was 
ablaze  with  the  Aurora  and  countless  brilliant  stars. 

But  cold  and  ice  and  darkness  were  not  the  only 
trials  of  life  in  that  little  Arctic  community.  Want 
of  provisions,  owing  to  the  failure  of  the  fishing, 
had  brought  the  Eskimos  and  their  dogs  to  a  con 
dition  of  starvation.  There  is,  however,  a  joyful 
entry  on  November  3  :  "  A  whale  has  been  caught 
to-day.  Thank  God  for  it.  This  monster  of  the 
deep  will  more  than  supply  the  needs  of  all." 

The  total  length  of  this  huge  creature  was  about 
50  feet,  the  height  was  fully  15,  and  the  breadth  of 
the  tail  was  12  feet.  The  thickness  of  blubber  in 
some  places  measured  12  inches. 


CUTTING    UP  A  WHALE.  Page  226. 


BUILDING   AT    BLACKLEAD    ISLAND. 
The  Rev.  E.  J.  Peck  is  in  the  foreground. 


Page  304. 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  221 

Soon  the  dogs  and  people  were  feasting  away  to 
their  heart's  content,  and  the  latter  were  quite 
elated  at  the  prospect  of  having  many  a  good  meal. 

Whale-skin,  which  is  called  muktak,  is  considered 
to  be  a  dainty  dish,  and  when  the  whale  was  caught 
the  missionaries  looked  forward  with  pleasure  to 
their  first  meal  of  this  delicacy  as  likely  to  give  them 
an  agreeable  change  of  diet.  But  the  result  was 
not  apparently  so  pleasurable  as  had  been  antici 
pated.  The  only  remark  Mr.  Peck  makes  about  it 
is  :  "  Mr.  Parker  and  I  had  our  first  meal  of  muktak. 
It  is  about  an  inch  thick  and  of  a  dark  colour.  When 
boiled,  it  is  fairly  palatable." 

A  little  later,  in  the  middle  of  November,  several 
seals  were  caught.  The  Eskimos  seemed  to  be 
always  ready  to  share  their  good  things  with  their 
European  friends.  On  November  16  the  diary  says  : 
"  They  very  kindly  brought  us  several  pieces  of 
seal's  meat.  We  cut  this  up  in  steaks  and  then  fry 
it.  As  it  is  considered  a  capital  preventive  of  scurvy 
we  think  it  wise  to  use  it  freely,  and  when  well  cooked 
it  is  certainly  more  digestible  than  canned  meats." 
But  though  the  wants  of  the  Eskimos  were  thus  pro 
vided  for  a  time,  the  food  supply  seemed  to  be  pre 
carious.  Bad  weather  did  its  work  continually  in 
bringing  the  people  to  the  verge  of  starvation. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  early  in  the  year  1895 
the  sun  failed  them  altogether.  The  date  of  that 
entry  in  the  diary  is  January  8.  Well,  for  days  and 


222          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

weeks  after  that  there  are  gloomy  reports  of  the 
weather.  "  Blowing  and  drifting  again.  I  could 
not  go  far  in  the  driving  snow,  but  managed  to 
crawl  into  four  Eskimo  dwellings  which  were  close 
to  our  house,  and  speak  a  few  words  for  the  Saviour." 
Again,  on  January  19,  it  is  "  a  wild  day.  So 
heavy  was  the  storm  that  we  could  not  gather  the 
people  together,  so  we  spent  the  day  in  study  and 
communion  with  God." 

Not  only  was  this  continuously  stormy  weather 
a  hindrance  to  the  teaching  of  the  people,  but  time 
after  time  it  prevented  the  fishing,  and  caused  much 
anxiety  to  the  missionaries  and  great  suffering  from 
hunger  to  the  Eskimos.  It  is  perhaps  difficult  for 
us  who  dwell  in  the  lands  of  regular  sowing  and 
reaping  to  realize  that  we  live  in  dependence  upon 
the  promise  of  God  that  seed-time  and  harvest 
should  not  cease.  But  if  our  lot  were  cast  in  the 
icy  lands  above  the  latitude  of  65°,  we  should  pro 
bably  put  our  hearts  into  the  petition :  "  Give  us 
this  day,  and  day  by  day,  our  daily  bread." 

Who  is  proof,  under  the  pressure  of  continued 
gloom,  against  despondency  ?  Elijah  was  not ; 
John  the  Baptist  was  not ;  Timothy  was  not.  Thus 
we  need  not  be  surprised,  but  all  our  sympathy 
should  be  awakened  when  we  read  :  "  From  Sunday 
the  20th  to  Saturday  the  26th  was  a  season  of  much 
trial  and  deep  spiritual  conflict.  We  have  had  such 
a  number  of  wild  days  lately  that  our  poor  people 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  223 

(some  170  being  now  on  the  island)  were  not  able 
to  catch  seals,  and  consequently  were  in  great  need. 
Some  of  them,  wishing  to  propitiate  their  evil 
spirits,  commenced  their  conjuring  practices,  think 
ing  their  incantations  would  have  the  desired  effect 
of  changing  the  weather.  I  spoke  to  them  at  our 
meeting  of  the  power  and  love  of  God,  and  exhorted 
them  to  repent  and  turn  to  Jesus  if  they  desired  His 
great  salvation.  Thank  God,  some  gave  heed  to 
the  word  spoken ;  but  no  one  (I  imagine)  except 
ourselves  can  fully  understand  our  position.  We 
are  here  in  the  depth  of  a  trying  winter,  in  the  midst 
of  a  starving  and  heathen  people,  without  human 
sympathy  or  support.  No  wonder  the  Prince  of 
Darkness  tries  to  shake  our  faith.  No  wonder  at 
times  anxious  thoughts  rush  into  our  minds." 

Again,  towards  the  end  of  January,  the  people 
were  reduced  to  straits  from  hunger.  The  mis 
sionaries  brought  the  needs  of  the  people  before 
God  in  prayer,  and  asked  Him,  who  brought  the 
fishes  to  the  net  of  the  disciples  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
to  give  the  people  of  Blacklead  Island  success  in 
hunting.  "  We  had,"  Mr.  Peck  writes,  in  conse 
quence,  "  the  joy  of  seeing  five  seals  brought  home." 
But  the  joy  was  balanced  by  anxiety  of  a  fresh  kind. 
"  To  our  great  sorrow  and  dismay  we  were  told  that 
some  of  the  people  had  been  driven  out  to  sea  on  a 
field  of  ice.  We  are  praying  earnestly  to  God  for 
them."  But  a  trial  of  this  kind  was  but  the  leading 


224  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

of  God  for  those  who  were  in  danger.  They  re 
mained  on  their  ice-floe  all  night,  and  one  of  them 
at  least,  as  a  result,  was  thus  led  to  pray  to  the  God 
of  whom  the  messengers  of  the  Gospel  had  spoken. 
His  prayer  was  repeated  :  "  O  God,  save  me,  for 
I  am  in  great  danger."  In  the  morning  they  noticed, 
to  their  great  joy,  that  new  ice  had  formed  between 
them  and  Blacklead  Island,  and  although  it  actually 
bent  under  their  weight,  they  succeeded  in  escaping 
from  their  perilous  position. 

During  this  time  of  privation  the  missionaries 
adopted  the  plan  of  inviting  one  family  to  tea  every 
day.  This  alone  must  have  made  some  consider 
able  inroad  upon  their  stores,  and  shows  the  need 
of  a  plentiful  supply  such  as  was  to  some  extent  men 
tioned  in  detail  in  the  last  chapter.  "  After  tea,"  Mr. 
Peck  writes,  "  I  take  our  large  English  Bible  and 
explain  to  them  that  this  is  the  Book  which  God  has 
given  to  teach  men  the  way  to  heaven.  A  suitable 
portion  is  then  translated  and  explained.  Before  we 
part  they  kneel  down,  and  we  have  prayer  together. 
Poor  people !  they  do  seem  so  grateful,  and  we  may 
well  believe  that  their  hearts  are  being  drawn  to  Jesus." 

The  Eskimos  were  not  the  only  living  creatures 
that  suffered  from  hunger.  Their  dogs  as  well  were 
brought  near  to  starvation.  This  the  missionaries 
found  to  their  cost.  The  dogs  had  not  been  invited 
to  tea  with  their  masters,  so  they  thought  it  well  to 
help  themselves. 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  225 

On  January  23  "  we  were  startled,"  writes  Mr. 
Peck,  "  at  about  3  a.m.  by  a  pack  of  hungry  dogs. 
These  creatures  had  managed  to  climb  up  on  the 
roof  of  our  skin  church,  and  to  our  dismay  were 
tearing  the  edifice  to  pieces.  Hastily  slipping  on 
our  fur  coats,  Mr.  Parker  and  I  rushed  out  in  the 
bitter  cold.  Here  in  the  dim  light  we  could  make 
out  our  position.  We  were  literally  besieged  by 
dogs,  and  they  must  in  all  have  numbered  over  a 
hundred.  Most  of  them  were  on  the  roof,  some 
had  fallen  through,  others  were  devouring  pieces  of 
sealskin,  and  altogether  such  a  confused  mass  of 
dogs — young,  old,  bruised  and  wounded — it  would 
be  hard  to  find  anywhere  else.  After  a  sharp  battle 
we  managed  to  put  these  unwelcome  visitors  to 
flight,  and  then  we  had  the  pleasure  of  contempla 
ting  the  mischief  the  starving  brutes  had  done." 

We  have  heard  fairly  often  of  churches  being 
destroyed  by  fire  or  tempest,  or  even  by  earth 
quake,  but  probably  this  instance  is  unique  when 
one  was  devoured  by  dogs.  Some  years  after,  when 
the  incident  was  told  to  a  class  of  girls  in  Scotland, 
one  lassie  remarked  "  Now  that  we  have  heard  of 
a  kirk  being  eaten  by  dogs,  it  is  not  hard  to  believe 
that  a  whale  could  have  swallowed  Jonah." 

Happily  the  damage  was  speedily  repaired,  and 
the  church  was,  at  least,  rendered  sufficiently 
proof  against  wind  and  cold  for  services  to  be  held 
there  on  the  next  Sunday. 

15 


226  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Though  the  darkest  days  of  the  year  were  days  of 
trial,  there  was  much  cause  for  thankfulness.  The 
people  had  learned  to  regard  the  missionaries  as 
friends  ;  they  had  taken  in  a  great  deal  of  instruc 
tion,  and  some  at  least  had,  as  far  as  the  eye  of  man 
could  see,  been  drawn  nearer  to  God  in  Christ. 

Of  a  party  of  Eskimos  who  left  Blacklead  Island 
on  February  25,  Mr.  Peck  mentions  one,  a  woman 
named  Padlo,  who  had  been  a  regular  attendant  at 
the  services,  and  could  read  in  her  own  tongue 
portions  of  God's  Holy  Word.  In  her  case  he  ex 
presses  the  earnest  hope  that  she  may  become  a 
missionary  among  her  own  people  wherever  her 
journeyings  may  take  her. 

A  little  later,  too,  we  are  told  of  the  progress  of 
the  children  ;  how  several  can  read  and  answer 
correctly  when  questioned  about  the  leading  truths 
of  Christianity.  And  so,  as  days  lengthened,  hope 
was  strong  that  the  true  spiritual  light  that  light- 
eth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world  was 
really  shining.  Even  though  the  nights  were  long, 
yet  Arctic  darkness  had  its  special  hope,  as  on 
March  10,  a  glorious  night,  when  an  eclipse  took 
place.  After  that  phenomenon  "  the  stars  shone 
with  a  wondrous  lustre,  and  the  northern  lights 
(Aurora  Borealis),  which  were  of  every  conceivable 
tint  of  the  most  exquisite  colours,  flitted  across  the 
heavens."  Such  a  scene  as  this  seems  to  speak 
promises  of  the  time  when  there  shall  be  no  night 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  227 

over  the  frozen  wastes  of  the  Eskimos,  when  the 
people  who  sit  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death 
shall  see  a  great  light,  when  those  who  are  blinded 
by  sin  shall  have  their  eyes  opened  to  behold  Him 
who  said,  "  I  am  the  Bright  and  Morning  Star  "  ? 

By  the  end  of  April  Mr.  Peck  felt  that  Mr.  Parker 
had  made  such  progress  with  the  language  and  in 
knowledge  of  the  people  that  he  could  be  left  alone. 
Accordingly,  he  made  preparations  for  a  journey  to 
Kikkerton,  Mr.  Noble's  second  whaling  station. 
Forethought  was  very  necessary,  for  many  things 
were  wanted  to  make  a  prolonged  absence  possible. 
The  list  is  given  by  Mr.  Peck : — 

"  Preparing  for  journey.  As  I  shall  have  to  live 
in  the  open-air  for  some  considerable  time,  I  have 
to  provide  various  requisites  :  (i)  A  tent.  This  we 
are  having  made  of  canvas,  and  will  be  about  8  feet 
long,  6  high,  and  6  broad.  (2)  Provisions.  (3) 
Cooking  appliances.  As  there  is  no  firewood  to  be 
found  in  these  parts  I  am  taking  a  small  lamp  and 
some  methylated  spirit.  (4)  Clothing  and  bedding. 
These  consist  of  a  complete  suit  of  fur  and  a  sleep 
ing-bag,  the  inside  of  the  latter  being  made  of  rein 
deer  skin,  and  the  outside  of  sealskin.  (5)  Sledge 
and  dogs,  together  with  supplies  for  my  Eskimo 
companion." 

The  start  was  made  on  May  4,  although  there 
was  a  strong  wind  blowing  from  the  north  to  impede 
progress.  However,  after  a  hard  day's  travel  a 


228  THE  LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

group  of  snow-houses  between  some  rugged  rocks 
was  reached  in  safety.  Mr.  Peck  took  up  his  quarters 
with  an  old  man  and  his  wife.  Their  iglo  was  hospi 
table,  but  not  pleasant  for  a  fastidious  taste.  The 
house  was  in  a  most  filthy  state,  blood,  blubber, 
and  pieces  of  seal's  meat  being  thrown  about  in  all 
directions.  "  I  made,  however,"  the  missionary 
says,  "  the  best  of  my  not  over-comfortable  abode, 
and  tried  to  make  the  portion  of  the  house  allotted 
to  me  as  clean  as  possible." 

Experiences  among  the  Eskimos,  as  was  seen 
when  we  looked  into  their  homes  in  Hudson's  Bay, 
were  not  always  pleasant ;  and  at  a  later  date 
during  this  Kikkerton  journey,  Mr.  Peck  again 
remarks ; — 

"  I  witness  strange  sights  in  these  Eskimo  dwell 
ings — an  Eskimo  feast,  for  instance,  being  by  no 
means  uncommon.  Imagine  a  seal,  fresh  from  the 
sea,  laid  on  the  floor  of  a  hut,  surrounded  by  a  num 
ber  of  hungry  people  all  armed  with  knives  ready 
for  the  fray.  The  seal  is  cut  open  down  the  middle, 
the  skin  taken  off,  and  the  carcase  roughly  cut  up  ; 
pieces  of  the  gory  flesh  and  blubber  are  then  de 
voured  with  the  greatest  avidity,  and  soon  the  mass 
of  meat  vanishes  away." 

Sunday,  May  5,  was  spent  in  working  among  the 
people  of  this  village.  There  were  six  houses  in  all, 
and  we  are  given  some  description  of  the  inhabitants 
of  each  of  them : 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  229 

"  Spent  the  day  in  work  for  my  Saviour.  Six 
snow-houses  formed  our  Eskimo  village.  The  in 
mates  of  the  house  in  which  I  lived  showed  little 
desire  for  instruction,  but  I  tried  to  lay  before  them 
God's  message  of  love  and  mercy.  In  the  next 
house  a  conjuror  with  his  wife  and  family  resided. 
Spoke  to  them  about  God's  love  and  goodness.  They 
listened  with  some  attention  to  our  message.  The 
next  dwelling  contained  four  inhabitants ;  one,  a 
young  woman,  was  very  encouraging.  The  mother 
of  this  young  person  also  spoke  very  nicely,  and  I 
felt  really  thankful  to  God  for  inclining  their  hearts 
to  listen  to  the  Gospel.  In  the  next  house  I  found 
a  poor  man  with  his  wife.  The  former  is  suffering 
from  a  painful  and  incurable  disease.  I  tried  to 
point  him  to  Jesus,  the  Fountain  of  life,  blessing, 
and  comfort.  In  the  next  habitation  I  found 
another  conjuror  with  his  wife  and  family,  and 
spoke  to  them  of  the  Saviour's  love.  I  passed  into 
the  next  dwelling,  where  I  found  a  man  with  his  wife 
who  were  very  favourably  disposed,  and  who  listened 
to  our  words  with  evident  interest.  I  gathered 
the  children  together  during  the  day,  and  found 
them  bright,  intelligent,  and  most  eager  to  learn." 

On  May  6  Kikkerton  was  reached  about  7  p.m., 
and  Mr.  Mutch,  who  was  stationed  here,  kindly 
received  Mr.  Peck.  He  had,  however,  no  sleeping 
accommodation  to  offer  him,  so  it  was  a  case  of 
living  in  his  tent  during  his  stay. 


230          THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

The  visit  to  this  station  was  distinctly  encou 
raging  and  interesting.  The  people  came  together 
in  large  numbers  to  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  for 
instruction.  And  there  was  unlimited  room  in  the 
church  for  all  to  gather  together  who  would.  It 
certainly  was  Catholic  in  the  sense  that  none  need 
be  shut  out.  We  have  looked  into  the  iron  church 
at  Whale  River,  and  we  have  seen  the  skin  and 
whalebone  church  of  Blacklead  Island,  and  we  have 
read  the  fate  that  overtook  it.  But  at  Kikkerton 
we  see  one  which  was  more  commodious  than  either 
of  these,  cheaper  to  erect,  and  proof  against  attacks 
of  dogs,  or  fire  or  earthquake.  We  will  hear  Mr. 
Peck  describe  his  own  edifice  :  "  Having  no  house 
in  which  the  people  could  assemble,  I  requested 
some  Eskimos  to  build  a  large  circular  wall  of  snow, 
about  6  feet  high,  to  keep  out  the  piercing  wind. 
The  seats — if  such  I  may  call  them — were  made  of 
square  blocks  of  snow,  which  were  placed  close  to 
the  snow  wall.  This  was  our  Arctic  church.  Our 
service  consisted  of  hymns  and  prayer,  and  I  then 
told  them  some  simple  Scriptural  truths.  What  a 
strange  sight  these  walls  of  snow,  with  nothing 
between  us  in  an  upward  direction  but  the  blue 
heavens !  Truly  the  angels  of  God  might  look 
down  upon  such  a  gathering  with  wonder  and  joy." 

Here  then  the  people  met  on  Sunday.  "  Many 
came,  and  we  had  a  grand  time.  Services  gene 
rally  lasted  about  an  hour.  Some  friends  might 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  231 

perhaps  be  disposed  to  blame  me  for  remaining  so 
long  in  the  open-air  with  only  a  wall  of  snow  for 
protection  ;  but  there  is  no  alternative.  There  is 
not  a  fragment  of  wood  or  anything  else  here  to 
make  a  more  suitable  meeting-place  ;  but  God  has 
not  failed  to  strengthen  me  wonderfully  to  bear 
the  cold." 

But  it  must  be  admitted  tha^.  church  of  this 
kind  even  has  some  disadvantage,  for  on  May  27 
it  was  snowing  all  day. 

"  I  could  not,  therefore,  hold  meetings  in  the  open- 
air,  and  so  visited  from  house  to  house.  In  one 
dwelling  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  one  of  the 
Eskimos  who  had  heard  the  Gospel  at  Blacklead 
Island  during  the  winter.  When  I  spoke  to  the 
people  he  warmly  seconded  my  remarks,  and  spoke 
very  kindly  of  our  work."  This  is  not  a  solitary 
instance  of  the  effect  of  work  previously  done. 
For  on  another  day,  "  I  was  cheered  by  meeting 
two  of  the  people  who  had  heard  much  of  Jesus 
from  one  of  the  Blacklead  Island  Eskimos."  .  .  . 
"  There  are  wonderful  signs  from  time  to  time  of 
God's  blessing  and  ready  help,  and  one  would  be 
faint-hearted  indeed  to  doubt  the  power  and  pre 
sence  of  our  God." 

The  missionary  had  been  taking  his  meals  with 
Mr.  Noble's  agent.  But  after  some  days  Mr.  Peck 
writes :  "  Mr.  Mutch  left  to-day,  so  I  am,  in  a 
measure,  thrown  on  my  own  resources.  Had  tea 


232          THE   LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

in  tent  this  evening.  Bread  was  frozen  quite  hard, 
so  I  had  to  chop  off  pieces,  and  altogether  I  made 
but  a  poor  meal." 

But  the  next  day  "  I  had  a  more  satisfactory 
meal  than  that  of  previous  day,  experience  having 
taught  me  a  lesson.  The  frozen  bread  I  wrapped  in 
a  towel  and  took  to  bed  with  me  the  previous  night, 
and  through  the  heat  generated  in  my  fur  bag  it  was 
quite  thawed  by  the  morning.  Snow  was  melted  by 
one  of  the  Eskimo  and  brought  to  me ;  this  was 
finally,  by  means  of  my  methylated-spirit  lamp, 
brought  to  the  boiling  point,  and  I  soon  had  the 
pleasure  of  drinking  a  cup  of  hot  cocoa,  which 
beverage,  by-the-bye,  is  most  acceptable  in  these 
cold  regions.  It  is  certainly  preferable  to  either 
tea  or  coffee,  on  account  of  its  sustaining  properties." 

Towards  the  end  of  May :  "  The  weather  is  now,  I 
am  thankful  to  say,  getting  warmer,  and  I  slept 
quite  comfortably  last  night  in  my  tent.  The  bread 
in  my  box  is  also  beginning  to  thaw,  so  there  is  much 
to  be  thankful  for" 

It  is  indeed  well  for  the  dwellers  in  Arctic  regions 
that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  not  meat  and  drink. 

So  the  nights  became  shorter,  or  practically  did 
not  exist,  for  on  May  28  the  sun  was  actually  shining 
about  eighteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  and 
the  remaining  six  hours  were  bright  twilight,  scarcely 
distinguishable  from  day.  But  this  meant  weak 
ness  of  ice,  and  consequently  the  near  impossibility 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  233 

of  travelling  across  the  sea.  So  on  June  6  Mr.  Peck 
had  to  make  a  start  on  his  return  journey  to  Black- 
lead  Island. 

His  account  of  the  journey  is  as  follows :  "  We 
made  our  way  over  the  vast  ice-field  which  stretches 
right  across  the  Sound.  We  followed  in  many  places 
the  track  of  sledges  which  had  passed  over  the  same 
ice.  But  at  last,  to  our  dismay,  we  saw  that  the  ice 
had  been  carried  away,  and  that  the  open  water  ex 
tended  in  a  more  northerly  direction.  We  were 
therefore  obliged  to  alter  our  course,  and  after  a 
hard  day's  travelling  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
edge  of  the  ice  floe  on  the  opposite  side.  Here  we 
found  two  boats,  the  crews  of  which  were  engaged 
in  the  whale  fishery.  The  boats  were  secured  to 
the  edge  of  the  ice,  and  we  were  almost  inclined  to 
go  and  sleep  in  them  for  the  night.  After  prayerful 
consideration,  however,  we  thought  it  wiser  to  go 
to  some  Eskimos  who  were  encamped  close  to  the 
land.  These  people  received  us  very  kindly,  and, 
with  the  help  of  our  methylated-spirit  lamp,  a  cup 
of  tea  was  soon  ready,  and  we  attacked  our  evening 
meal  with  an  appetite  which  only  an  Arctic  traveller, 
perhaps,  can  understand." 

On  the  next  day  "  there  was  a  strong  wind  blow 
ing  from  the  north.  We  looked  for  the  boats  we 
had  seen  the  previous  day,  but  the  ice,  to  which 
they  had  been  fastened,  had  all  disappeared.  What 
a  mercy  we  did  not  carry  out  our  intention  of  stay- 


234          THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

ing  in  the  boats  !  For,  although  we  should  probably 
have  been  safe  enough,  what  would  have  become  of 
our  sledge  and  dogs  ?  As  the  wind  was  strong  we 
rigged  up  a  sail,  and  drove  along  before  the  gale  at  a 
brisk  rate.  After  going  some  distance,  however, 
we  had  to  haul  close  to  the  wind  and  keep  in  near 
to  the  land,  as  we  found  the  ice  weak  in  many  places. 
We  almost  caught  a  seal  which  was  basking  in  the 
sun.  The  creature  was  asleep,  and  allowed  us  to  get 
nearly  within  gunshot  before  it  awoke.  When  it 
raised  its  head  my  Eskimo  companion  began  yelling 
in  a  most  unearthly  manner,  and  the  seal,  quite  sur 
prised  with  the  noise,  and  looking  about  to  see  what 
was  the  matter,  almost  forgot  his  own  means  of 
safety.  However,  he  slipped  into  his  hole  in  the 
ice  just  as  the  dogs  were  on  top  of  him. 

"  We  did  not  reach  Blacklead  Island  before  two 
a.m.  on  Saturday  morning.  I  was  surprised  to  see 
many  people  out  and  about,  and  they  gave  me  a 
warm  welcome.  Right  glad  I  was  to  meet  my 
friend  and  brother,  Mr.  Parker,  and  to  hear  good 
accounts  of  his  welfare  and  work." 

And  so  this  tour  and  sojourn  of  a  month's  dura 
tion  came  to  an  end,  and  there  is  a  pleasing  retro 
spect  :  "  I  think  of  my  stay  at  Kikkerton  with 
feelings  of  gratitude  to  God.  Many  have  heard  the 
Gospel,  a  few  can  read,  and  several  have  reading 
sheets  in  hand  which  they  have  promised  to  learn 
during  my  absence."  The  great  difficulty  in  deal- 


DAYBREAK  IN  CUMBERLAND  SOUND  235 

ing  with  Eskimos,  as  with  all  people,  is  to  overcome 
the  first  obstacle,  and  convince  the  people  that  they 
are  sinners  who  stand  in  need  of  a  Saviour. 

"  Often  when  I  speak  of  man's  lost,  fallen  state 
to  the  Eskimos  they  make  remarks  which  show  that 
they — if  any  people  under  heaven — ought  not  to 
be  placed  in  the  list  of  sinners.  Some  remark,  when 
I  mention  the  various  sins  to  which  they  are  addicted, 
'  But  I  do  not  steal,'  '  I  do  not  commit  adultery,' 
etc.,  etc.  Others,  again — not,  I  must  confess,  with 
out  just  cause — refer  to  the  sins  of  white  men  who 
have  visited  them  from  time  to  time,  and  they 
naturally  reason  that  if  they  are  specimens  of  the 
religion  we  have  come  to  teach  the  Eskimos  might 
just  as  well  remain  as  they  are." 

Happy  it  is  for  the  missionary  to  reflect  that  all 
things  are  possible  with  God,  and  that  it  is  not  his 
work  to  convince  of  sin,  but  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  whom  Christ  sends  into  the  world  through 
the  medium  of  His  willing  messengers. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING 

"  Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  rather 
glory  in  my  infirmities  that  the  power  of 
Christ  may  rest  upon  me.  Therefore  I  take 
pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  reproaches,  in 
necessities,  in  persecutions,  in  distresses, 
for  Christ's  sake." 

AX  the  end  of  June,  1895,  it  was  decided  that 
Mr.  Parker  should  start  with  some  Eskimos 
who  were  going  to  visit  a  whaling  station  near  Fro- 
bisher  Bay,  and  on  July  2,  Mr.  Peck  accompanied 
him  to  the  boat  to  say  farewell.  We  are  reminded 
of  a  sea-shore  scene  painted  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  when  we  read :  "  We  had  prayer  together 
by  the  beach.  I  feel  lonely  here  now,  with  not  one 
soul  to  speak  to  in  my  own  tongue.  But  Jesus  is 
near,  and  why  should  I  repine  while  His  promises 
are  true  and  faithful." 

Mr.  Parker  did  not  return  until  August  27. 
One  result  of  this  journey  was  to  show  that  the 
movements  of  Eskimos  seemed  to  bring  many  dis 
tant  places  near  to  one  another,  and  Mr.  Peck  was 
brought  almost  into  touch  with  his  former  districts. 

230 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          237 

For  the  traveller  had  met  Eskimos  who  had  jour 
neyed  from  the  northern  and  western  shores  of 
Hudson's  Straits,  and  "we  may  well  believe  that  the 
Gospel  of  God's  grace  and  love  will  soon  spread 
over  these  Arctic  wastes,  and  that  God's  name  will 
be  glorified  amongst  the  Eskimos." 

There  is  something  pathetic  in  words  which  record 
some  of  the  smaller  trials  of  life  in  Cumberland 
Sound,  and  as  we  read  them  we  have  to  remember 
that  after  all  life  is  made  up  generally  of  apparently 
petty  details  of  daily  routine.  "  The  weather  is 
now  (in  the  middle  of  July)  very  warm,  and  the 
scanty  vegetation  is  beginning  to  look  green.  I 
have  planted  some  mustard  and  cress,  together 
with  other  vegetable  seeds,  in  two  boxes.  I  man 
aged  with  difficulty  to  get  some  soil,  which  I  worked 
up  as  fine  as  possible.  I  hope  these  efforts  may  be 
successful,  one  does  miss  a  few  fresh  vegetables." 

In  due  time  a  small  harvest  was  reaped,  for  on 
August  ii  :  "I  had  the  pleasure  of  eating  some 
mustard  and  cress  ;  the  other  seeds  I  planted  are 
coming  on,  but  slowly." 

On  August  20,  there  was  great  excitement.  "While 
having  dinner,  some  of  the  people  rushed  into  our 
little  house,  and  cried  out,  *  Oomeakjuak  !  oomeak- 
juak  ! '  ('  A  ship  !  a  ship  ! ').  /  could  hardly  credit 
the  news  for  joy.  Went  out,  and  saw  a  vessel  bear 
ing  up  for  our  island  home.  She  had  evidently 
been  driven  to  leeward  of  the  island  during  the 


238  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

stormy  weather  we  have  had  lately,  and  was  now 
(as  sailors  say)  beating  to  windward.  But,  alas  ! 
when  she  was  almost  close  to  us  a  thick  fog  settled 
over  everything,  and  the  wind  began  to  blow  with 
great  fury.  We  knew  the  vessel  could  not  make 
the  land,  so  we  returned  to  our  solitary  dwelling 
and  committed  the  ship  and  her  crew  to  God's  care, 
and  then  felt  quite  at  rest." 

The  next  two  days  the  weather  continued  very 
foggy  and  stormy  and  nothing  could  be  seen  of  the 
ship.  However,  on  the  23rd  the  fog  cleared  away 
and  "  we  had  the  joy  of  seeing  her  again,  but  some 
considerable  distance  to  leeward  of  the  island. 

u  The  vessel,  which  on  approaching  we  found  to 
be  Mr.  Noble's  brig,  the  Alert,  succeeded  in  reaching 
her  anchorage  in  the  evening,  I  immediately  went 
on  board,  and,  of  course,  our  first  inquiries  were  con 
cerning  loved  ones  far  away.  My  heart  overflowed 
with  thankfulness  to  God  when  I  read  their  letters. 
How  great  His  mercy  in  having  kept  my  dear  wife, 
and  our  four  little  children,  in  health  and  strength, 
for  it  is  now  over  thirteen  months  since  I  heard  a 
word  about  them.  Truly  our  God  is  a  covenant- 
keeping  God,  who  will  fully  keep  that  which  we 
commit  to  His  trust.  Other  letters,  both  from  the 
Society  and  dear  friends,  are  full  of  comfort,  and 
one  feels  more  than  repaid  by  such  tokens  of  love 
and  sympathy  for  leaving  all  to  come  to  this  desolate 
place." 


PLOUGHING  AND  SOWING  239 

Beyond  the  joy  of  receiving  letters  from  home, 
the  missionaries  had  the  pleasure  of  unpacking  their 
annual  supplies.  Among  them  were  a  large  number 
of  towels  and  a  quantity  of  soap.  Alluding  to 
these,  Mr.  Peck  remarks  :  "  Won't  our  Eskimos  be 
clean  by  and  by."  And  in  a  private  letter  he 
writes  :  "I  am  trying  to  teach  the  children  to  be 
clean.  At  first  they  came  to  me  with  hair  a  literal 
mat  of  filth  and  grease,  so  that  it  was  difficult  to 
tell  which  was  hair  and  which  was  dirty  grease. 
Their  skins  were  thickly  coated  with  cakes  of  dirt. 
With  the  towels  and  soap  now  sent  us,  and  which  I 
have  served  out  to  the  children,  we  are  giving  an 
incentive  to  cleanliness  by  offering  thirteen  prizes, 
at  the  next  Christmas  festival,  for  the  uniformly 
cleanest  children." 

Towards  the  end  of  September  the  Alert  left  again 
for  Scotland  and  winter  once  more  began  to  encircle 
Blacklead  Island.  A  time  of  spiritual  warfare 
followed,  concerning  which  some  interesting  details 
are  given.  Perhaps  it  may  have  struck  some 
readers  that,  as  far  as  teaching  by  the  missionaries 
and  the  reception  of  their  teaching  by  the  Eskimos 
were  concerned,  there  had,  up  to  this  time,  been  a 
remarkable  absence  of  conflict.  Well,  we  must 
expect  that  this  state  of  things  cannot  go  on  for 
ever.  Even  in  earthly  things  innovations,  however 
good,  inevitably  stir  up  opposition.  How  much 
more  must  the  messenger  of  Christ  expect  to 


240  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

be  opposed  when  he  seeks  to  carry  Christ  right  into 
the  enemy's  stronghold.  Indeed,  probably  no 
missionary  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  his  work  until 
he  sees  Satan  fighting  for  his  own. 

And  so  we  are  not  surprised  that  the  course  of 
the  Gospel  did  not  run  altogether  smoothly  among 
the  Eskimos  when  the  conjurors  began  to  find  out, 
like  the  silversmiths  of  Ephesus  in  former  days,  that 
their  craft  was  in  danger. 

In  the  early  days  of  October,  Mr.  Parker  had  been 
attending  a  sick  man,  but  he  did  not  improve  so 
rapidly  as  he  had  hoped  he  would.  This  then  was 
an  opportunity  for  those  who  had  been  ousted. 
The  ignorant  sick  man  is  seldom  satisfied  with  any 
thing  short  of  a  miracle  ;  he  cannot  bear  to  wait 
for  the  slow  development  of  medical  science.  So 
one  of  the  conjurors  was  allowed  to  come  in  and 
practise  his  art  through  one  night.  These  practices 
have  been  more  or  less  described  elsewhere,  so  noth 
ing  need  here  be  said  in  detail.  Mr.  Peck  deter 
mined  to  speak  to  the  people  about  this  matter 
when  they  should  come  together  for  instruction. 
At  the  evening  meeting,  however,  but  few  were 
present  when  the  instruction  commenced.  "  I 
was,  therefore,"  he  said,  "  half  inclined  to  leave 
the  matter  for  what  I  thought  would  be  a  more 
favourable  opportunity.  But  I  was  moved  by  a 
strong  inward  impulse  to  speak  from  the  First  Com 
mandment,  and  just  as  I  commenced,  who  should 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          241 

enter  our  meeting  but  the  very  conjuror  who  had  prac 
tised  his  demoniac  art.  After  I  had  gone  on  some 
time  he  interrupted  me  by  saying  that  we  were  both 
conjurors,  or,  in  other  words,  that  there  was  no 
difference  between  my  preaching  the  Gospel  and 
his  heathen  incantations.  I  was  led,  therefore, 
to  speak  to  him  very  plainly  and  to  point  out,  in  no 
unkind  spirit,  I  hope,  the  real  difference  between 
our  objects.  All  the  people  present  listened  with 
the  greatest  attention,  and  I  felt  sure  that  God  by 
His  Holy  Spirit  was  speaking  to  them." 

Again,  later  in  the  same  month,  the  weather  was 
very  stormy,  and  hunting  was  consequently  a  failure. 
The  heathen  Eskimos,  then,  headed  by  their  con 
jurors,  organized  a  series  of  heathen  abominations 
in  connection  with  their  worship  of  Sedna  (or  Senna, 
as  the  name  seems  to  be  pronounced  in  Cumberland 
Sound).  These  ceremonies  were  to  propitiate  the 
goddess  so  that  expeditions  for  game  might  become 
possible  and  successful.  As  has  been  mentioned  in 
a  former  chapter,  some  of  their  practices  in  this 
worship  are  of  a  terribly  immoral  nature.  So  the 
missionaries  set  their  faces  against  them  and  opposed 
them  all  in  their  power.  This  incensed  many  of 
the  people  very  greatly,  and,  as  Mr.  Peck  expresses 
it,  "  thinned  out  our  stony-ground  hearers."  Many 
stood  firm  under  this  trial,  "  but  in  others  I  was 
sadly  deceived.  I  cannot,  however,  but  rejoice  in 
God.  Satan  is  evidently  stirring  up  his  agents,  and 

16 


242          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

this  is  in  itself  a  sign  of  life.  Again  we  see  the  real 
state  of  people's  hearts  and  shall  be  able  to  deal 
with  them,  I  trust,  with  more  wisdom.  Last,  but 
not  least,  the  people  are  realizing  that  to  follow 
Christ  means  more  than  a  mere  assent  to  the  truths 
they  hear."  And  yet  once  more,  a  few  days  later, 
concerning  the  same  matter  we  are  told :  "  Some 
of  the  heathen  appear  utterly  ashamed  of  their  vile 
ways,  and  will  not,  therefore,  come  to  our  meetings. 
Indeed  we  have  had  quite  a  thinning  out  of  late. 
I  am  waiting  patiently  and  asking  God  for  special 
guidance." 

There  was  yet  another  instrument  which  Satan 
used  during  this  season,  one  which  is  always  power 
ful,  especially  with  barbarous  peoples,  i.e.,  drink. 
One  of  the  Europeans  was  greatly  to  blame  for 
having  supplied  it  to  the  Eskimos.  He,  however, 
promised  Mr.  Peck  to  be  more  careful  in  the  future. 

The  winter  set  in  with  unusual  severity.  The 
journals  speak  continually  of  "  storms  raging,"  of 
"  a  week  of  stormy  weather,"  of  gales,  of  heavy 
snow  and  such  like. 

From  Sunday,  November  10,  to  Sunday  the  i/th, 
it  was  "  a  fearful  week,  wind  blowing  and  snow 
drifting.  The  people  are  in  want,  and  spiritually, 
there  have  been  some  discouraging  events.  On 
November  19,  we  had  our  house  banked  up  with 
snow.  A  wall  of  some  five  feet  thick  and  ten  feet 
high  was  built  all  round.  This  was  the  work  of 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          243 

some  twenty  Eskimos  who  cut  out  and  hauled 
several  large  sledge  loads  of  frozen  blocks  of  snow." 
And  this  protection  was  arranged  not  before  it  was 
wanted,  for  the  next  day  a  very  heavy  gale  was 
blowing,  indeed  the  heaviest  "  we  have  experienced 
since  landing  here.  One  of  our  fires  could  not  be 
kept  alight  as  we  were  nearly  suffocated  with  sulphur 
and  smoke.  So  we  spent  a  miserable  day.  How 
we  should  have  fared  I  hardly  know  if  we  had  not 
been  led  most  providentially  to  encircle  our  house 
with  what  proved  to  be  a  real  shelter.  A  snow 
wall,  five  feet  thick,  keeps  out  not  a  little  wind." 

Christmas  approached,  but  it  did  not  come  upon 
the  Missionary  Station  without  preparation.  Work 
ing  parties  of  one  sort  or  another  are  the  correct 
thing  in  every  well-ordered  parish.  It  is  true  they 
are  generally  set  on  foot  and  managed  by  ladies. 
But  the  fact  that  no  ladies  were  present  at  Black- 
lead  Island  was  not  going  to  deter  so  orthodox  and 
energetic  a  pastor  as  Mr.  Peck.  He  had  organized 
his  working  party  some  time  before.  It  was  really 
a  knitting  class.  He  found  some  Eskimo  women 
who  had  been  taught  to  knit  years  ago  by  a  whaler's 
wife.  These  were  appointed  as  instructors.  Wool 
and  needles  had  been  sent  out  by  kind  friends  in 
England.  The  class  had  been  regularly  attended 
by  thirteen  women  and  thirteen  girls.  The  result 
was  a  very  respectable  out-turn  of  articles,  number 
ing  42  woollen  caps,  113  pairs  of  mittens,  and  35 


244  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

pairs  of  gloves,  and  all  these  things  were  to  be  used 
as  Christmas  presents  for  the  Eskimos. 

So  Christmas  Day  came,  the  day  of  all  the  year 
for  rejoicing.,  tempered  by  some  sad  and  solemn 
recollections.  "  The  dear  ones  at  home  were  very 
much  in  our  thoughts,  on  our  hearts  and  in  our 
prayers.  How  near,  and  yet  how  far  they  seem  to 
us  at  this  hallowed  season. 

"  A  large  number  of  Eskimo  friends  gathered  to 
gether  to-day.  Several  brought  presents  of  things 
which  they  had  knitted  and  desired  me  to  take 
them  for  my  own  use,  and  thus  be  able  to  show 
them  to  the  kind  friends  who  had  sent  the  wool. 

"  I  was  very  pleased  to  see  such  a  kind,  thoughtful 
spirit  among  them,  and  the  presents  were  an  utter 
surprise,  as  I  had  no  idea  they  had  been  making 
these  special  articles  for  our  use. 

"  After  friendly  greetings  we  entertained  the 
donors  of  the  gifts  with  coffee  and  cake,  and  I 
pointed  out  to  them  the  true  reason  why  we  should 
rejoice  on  this  day.  Poor  souls !  one  does  so  long 
to  see  them  take  a  firm  hold  of  Jesus,  as  a  living, 
personal  Saviour." 

"  Thursday,  26th. — Decided  to  give  the  married 
people  a  treat  to-day.  Each  family  was  supplied 
with  flour  and  grease,  which  they  cooked  in  their 
own  dwellings  over  their  lamps  in  pans,  or  in  other 
ways. 

"  In  the  evening  we  had  a  magic  lantern  lecture 


A  GROUP   OF    ESKIMO   CHILDREN    OUTSIDE    MISSION. 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          245 

for  adults  in  our  little  church.  The  place  was 
crammed  to  suffocation,  and  the  malodours  arising 
from  the  greasy  clothing,  and  the  filthy  persons  of 
such  a  congregation,  baffles  all  description.  How 
ever,  we  got  along  very  nicely.  Mr.  Parker  is  a 
splendid  manipulator  of  the  lantern,  and  I  gave  a 
few  words  explanatory  of  the  passing  slides,  which 
depicted  scenes  in  our  Lord's  life  on  earth ;  and,  as 
ever  when  the  magic  lantern  is  shown,  the  people 
went  away  full  of  a  deep  delight." 

"  Friday,  2jth. — Children's  day.  Tried  to  make 
the  little  ones  happy.  Gave  them  a  feast  at  3 
p.m.  This  consisted  of  plum  pudding,  cake,  tea 
and  coffee.  Oh  !  how  those  little  dears  did  eat ! 
Oh  !  what  capacious  stomachs  these  Eskimos  have  ! 
But,  at  last  they  had  to  '  cease  firing,'  and  then  I 
advised  them  to  carry  off  the  fragments  that  re 
mained  for  their  mothers  and  fathers ;  a  hint,  by 
the  way,  which  they  were  not  slow  to  take  advan 
tage  of. 

"  At  7  p.m.  came  the  great  event  of  the 
season — distribution  of  the  prizes  and  a  display  of  a 
Christmas  tree.  This  latter,  made  by  Mr.  Parker, 
was  a  great  success.  With  the  hoops  of  a  flour 
barrel,  tastefully  decorated  with  coloured  paper, 
etc.,  and  arranged  ingeniously  on  a  pole,  which  was 
lashed  top  and  bottom,  he  contrived  a  very  pretty 
affair.  The  gifts  were  in  nice  little  bags  (the  bags 
also  the  work  of  Mr.  Parker's  ingenious  fingers)  and 


246  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

hung  on  the  hoops,  around  which  lighted  candles 
were  distributed  in  the  most  orthodox  Christmas 
fashion,  and  with  the  further  aid  of  various  little 
ornaments,  our  tree,  when  lit  up,  looked  quite  a 
grand  affair. 

"Mr.  Hall  (Mr.  Noble's  agent  here)  took  the 
chair  at  7  p.m.,  the  place  being  crowded,  for 
every  one  was  anxious  to  see  so  novel  a  sight. 

"  After  singing  and  prayer,  the  distribution  of 
prizes  took  place.  These  were,  first,  for  some  of  the 
most  regular  attendants  and  best  behaved  at  school, 
and  second,  for  the  most  cleanly. 

"  Fourteen  prizes  were  given  to  the  most  regular 
attendants  ;  one  girl  named  Roopenwak,  had  not 
missed  a  day ;  another  named  Ropvidliak,  had  only 
missed  one  day  ;  while  a  third  named  Rillukvuk,  had 
only  missed  two.  Fourteen  also  won  prizes  for 
cleanliness,  and  I  had  a  singular  pleasure  in  handing 
these  to  the  recipients,  as  one  does  appreciate  cleanli 
ness  among  a  people  of  this  naturally  filthy  type. 

"  After  the  prizes  had  been  distributed,  the  tree 
was  stripped  and  each  member  of  our  tiny  flock  was 
presented  with  some  nice  article. 

"  After  a  closing  hymn  had  been  sung,  and  prayer 
offered,  we  separated,  thanking  God  for  the  happy 
time  He  had  given  us ;  and  for  the  materials 
supplied,  which  are  also  His  gifts,  and  placed  at 
our  disposal  for  His  glory." 

There  is  very  much  for  encouragement  in  this 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          247 

account  of  the  great  festal  season  of  the  Christian 
year,  and  even  allowing  for  some  being  attracted  to 
the  Mission  from  false  motives,  there  is  a  solid 
foundation  of  Christianity  and  an  indication  of 
progress.  It  is  then  very  saddening  to  find  a  note 
of  the  worst  kind  of  discouragement  soon  after, 
discouragement  such  as  has  been  experienced  too 
often,  and  with  which  every  missionary  is  pro 
bably  more  or  less  familiar. 

"  I  felt  constrained  to  speak  to  a  white  man 
who  is  here  as  to  the  immorality  of  his  life.  He 
listened,  but  got  no  further.  How  much  one  longs 
to  see  him,  and  others  here,  on  the  Lord's  side.  It 
seems  almost  a  hopeless  task  to  do  any  real  good 
amongst  this  people  while  our  fellow  whites  exhibit 
such  a  terrible  example,  and  thus  wield  so  awful  an 
influence  on  the  side  of  Satan. 

"  However,  we  are  not  here  to  fight  God's  battles 
in  our  own  strength,  neither  shall  we  prevail  by  any 
so-called  wisdom  or  might  of  our  own.  The  Lord 
Himself  is  fighting  for  us,  and  we  know  that  He 
will  be  victor  in  the  end.  So  we  go  on  patiently, 
and,  I  trust,  cheerfully  with  our  work." 

We  seem  able  to  read  between  the  lines  of  Mr. 
Peck's  notes.  We  picture  a  man  who  comes 
to  these  inhospitable  regions  for  money  making,  for 
his  own  aggrandisement  and  ultimate  ease.  In 
fluenced  by  no  high  motive,  but  purely  selfish  in  his 
aims,  he  makes  the  native  Eskimos  minister  to  his 


248          THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

every  vice.  Circling  lower  and  lower  in  the  indul 
gence  of  his  passions,  he  becomes  a  centre  from 
which  radiate  hellish  forces.  He  lends  himself  to 
the  devil  as  a  satanic  agent. 

What  a  contrast  to  this  is  presented  in  the  picture 
of  the  Christlike  life  of  patient  endurance  of  the 
messengers  of  the  Gospel.  Like  the  Master  they 
came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister, 
and  to  live  not  only  among  but  for  the  people  to 
whom  they  are  sent.  Soon  after  the  occurrence 
above  mentioned,  both  Mr.  Peck  and  Mr.  Parker 
undertook  a  tour  on  the  ice  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Kikkerton,  to  work  among  the  Eskimos  of  that 
station  and  any  others  they  might  find.  It  is  im 
possible  for  us  at  home  fully  to  grasp  what  these 
missionary  trips  mean.  The  cold  registered  was 
often  from  30°  to  40°  below  zero.  When  night 
came  no  hut  of  any  kind  would  be  found  to  welcome 
them.  The  frozen  sea  was  their  flooring.  They 
would  pile  up  blocks  of  frozen  snow  and  spread  their 
canvas  over  the  open  top  and  thus  shut  out  the 
elements  as  best  they  could.  "  When  the  shelter  was 
completed  our  spirit-lamp  was  lit,  our  kettle 
filled  with  snow,  and  patiently  we  waited  till  the 
water  boiled.  Parker  made  some  cocoa,  and  in  the 
midst  of  a  vapour,  which  froze  as  soon  as  it  reached 
our  canvas  roof,  we  drank  with  avidity  the  warm 
and  refreshing  beverage. 

"  After  shutting  up  the  tiny  hole,  which  we  had 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          249 

used  for  a  door,  with  a  block  of  snow,  we  managed 
by  the  light  of  a  candle  to  wriggle  into  our  sleeping 
bags  and  thus  to  secure  a  considerable  number 
of  shivery  little  dozes  through  the  night,  in  spite 
of  the  excessive  cold." 

But  when  we  read  details  of  this  kind  we  should 
have  suggested  to  us  not  merely  a  contrast  between 
the  messenger  of  the  Gospel  and  the  godless  trader. 
We  should  also  in  relation  to  our  own  lives  consider 
the  meaning  of  such  sacrifice  as  this.  If  we  are 
true  in  the  contemplation  of  our  own  lives,  we  shall 
discover  that  the  vast  majority  of  those  things 
which  we  have  been  accustomed  to  regard  as  neces 
sary  to  us  were  at  first  mere  luxuries,  and  by  degrees 
they  have  insidiously  wormed  themselves  into  our 
lives  so  as  to  seem  indispensable.  Every  thing  will 
acquire  a  new  aspect  and  will  begin  to  cry,  "  How 
much  owest  thou  unto  thy  Lord  ? " 

Our  tables  loaded  with  a  variety  of  costly  foods, 
of  delicacies  to  tempt  a  pampered  taste,  of  choice 
wines,  will  cry  out  against  us,  "  How  much  owest 
thou  ?  " 

Our  curtained  walls,  our  easy  chairs,  our  deep 
carpeted  floors,  will  take  up  the  cry  and  echo  back 
the  words,  "  How  much  owest  thou  ?  " 

Our  soft  warm  beds  and  downy  pillows,  so  different 
from  an  Arctic  couch  of  frozen  snow  and  ice,  will 
cause  our  dream  palaces  to  resound  with  the  cry, 
"  How  much  owest  thou  ?  " 


250          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

To  return  to  that  Kikkerton  journey.  After 
some  time  it  was  decided  that  Mr.  Parker  should 
return  to  Blacklead  Island,  while  Mr.  Peck  remained 
to  minister  to  the  Eskimos  around  him.  He  then 
took  up  his  temporary  abode  in  an  Eskimo  village. 
His  own  pen  gives  a  description  which  is  worth 
recording  as  giving  a  vivid  picture  of  his  surround 
ings  and  his  life. 

"  A  sketch  of  my  present  surroundings,  etc.,  may 
be  of  interest,  especially  as,  by  geographical  com 
putation,  I  am  now  situated  almost  on  the  Arctic 
circle. 

"  Item  one  is  the  Eskimo  village.  This  consists 
of  fourteen  snow-houses.  These  are  built  amongst 
huge  boulders  of  ice,  and  look  like  large  bee-hive 
shaped  piles  of  snow.  This  peculiar  little  '  town,* 
the  inhabitants  of  which  number  in  all  fifty-five 
souls,  is  situated  on  the  frozen  sea,  some  four  miles 
from  the  mainland. 

"  The  coast  here  is  rugged  in  the  extreme,  and 
the  mountain  peaks  rise  covered  with  a  deep  white 
mantle  of  snow,  sharply  silhouetted  against  the 
clear  blue  sky. 

"  The  whole  picture  is  one  of  utter  desolation, 
though  not  devoid  of  a  certain  bold  and  rugged 
grandeur,  which  fills  the  soul  with  a  solemn  and 
wondrous  sense  of  awe,  as  one  remembers  that  all 
this  is  '  the  work  of  His  hands.' 

"  My  snow-hotel  is  inhabited  by  three  persons 


A    SNOW-HOUSE   WITH  TUNNEL-PORCH   BANKED   UP. 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          251 

besides  myself.  My  host,  who  is,  or  rather  has  been, 
a  noted  conjuror ;  his  wife,  a  young  person  remark 
ably  cleanly  in  her  person  for  an  Eskimo  ;  and  the 
third  person  is  a  little  foster  son,  about  six  years  of 
age,  a  nice,  hearty  little  fellow. 

"  They  are  all  very  kind  to  me,  and  as  I  do  not 
notice  their  not  over-inviting  habits,  we  get  on 
famously  together." 

"  Thursday,  April  2. — Very  busy  teaching  and 
visiting  all  day.  A  striking  illustration  of  God's 
power  to  answer  prayer  was  given  to-day.  The 
Eskimo  in  whose  house  I  am  living  asked  me  quite 
spontaneously  to  pray  with  him,  and  to  ask  God  to 
give  him  success  in  his  hunting.  For  some  time 
past  he  had  not  caught  a  seal,  and  was  therefore 
short  of  oil  for  his  lamps.  God  answered  the  prayer, 
for  the  man  brought  back  with  him  with  great  joy  in 
the  evening  two  seals — just  the  number  we  ashed  for" 

"  Friday,  ^rd. — Prayed  again  with  our  friend  ; 
and  he  returned  this  time  with  three  seals." 

Mr.  Peck  continued  his  ministrations  at  this 
time  under  great  difficulty  for  he  says :  "  My  old 
throat  trouble  is  very  bad.  But  the  Lord  stands 
by  me,  and  strengthens  me,  giving  me  to  realize 
that  my  seasons  of  weakness  are  His  times  of  power 
and  blessing." 

Some  simple  extracts  from  the  journal  will  best 
close  the  chapter. 

"  Saturday,  nth. — Started  this  morning   to  visit 


252          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

another  band  of  Eskimos  living  somewhere  on  the 
ice  floe.  After  a  drive  of  some  hours  over  very 
hummocky  ice,  I  found  our  friends.  They  received 
me  with  much  joy,  put  my  kettle  over  their  oil 
stove,  filled  it  with  snow-water,  which  they  had 
previously  made  for  their  own  use,  and  indeed  they 
were  altogether  most  kind  and  hospitable. 

"  Having  made  a  kettle  of  coffee,  I  invited  them 
to  have  a  cup  with  me,  and  a  right  jolly  party  we 
were  as  we  eagerly  devoured  some  hard  biscuit  and 
warmed  our  chilly  frames  with  the  coffee. 

"  Towards  evening  it  came  on  to  blow  and  drift 
furiously.  One  of  the  men  who  has  been  gone  since 
early  morning  to  catch  seals  has  not  returned,  and 
with  this  gale  abroad  the  people  are  somewhat 
anxious  regarding  him. 

"  During  the  night  the  storm  increased,  and  our 
little  dwelling  seemed  almost  to  rock  with  the  vio 
lence  of  the  wind.  Fortunately  the  snow-house  is 
situated  on  the  lee  side  of  a  large  boulder  of  ice 
some  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  and  this  acts  as  a  break 
to  the  wind.  What  would  become  of  us  should 
the  ice — the  frozen  sea  on  which  we  are  encamped — 
break  up,  I  hardly  know.  For  the  season  is  advanc 
ing,  and  there  can  hardly  be  more  than  three  feet  of 
ice  between  us  and  the  sea  beneath,  a  thought  which 
does  not  add  to  one's  comfort  when  trying  to  sleep 
in  the  snow-house,  four  miles  from  the  land  and  with 
a  gale  of  wind  raging  without." 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING          253 

"  Sunday,  I2th. — Storm  moderated,  and  the 
missing  man  arrived  about  ten  a.m.  Both  dogs, 
sledge  and  driver  were  literally  covered  with  driven 
snow.  He  told  us  that  he  had  quite  lost  himself  in 
the  storm,  and  was  obliged  to  remain  in  the  snow 
drift  during  the  whole  of  that  bitter  night. 

"  Had  a  profitable  day  with  the  people.  Taught 
them  several  times,  and  sought  the  Lord's  presence 
for  my  own  comfort  and  support. 

"  Tuesday,  itfh. — Desirous  to  taste  a  new  phase 
of  Eskimo  life,  and  to  be  one  with  the  people  whom  I 
seek  to  win,  I  started  with  one  of  the  Eskimos  who 
was  going  young  seal  catching. 

"  Our  conveyance  was  a  small  sledge,  drawn  by 
four  dogs. 

"  After  reaching  the  actual  hunting  ground,  the 
dogs  were  continually  driven  in  a  windward  direc 
tion.  If  they  scented  a  seal-hole,  they  raced  away 
for  it  at  full  speed,  for  they  know  as  well  as  their 
owners — sometimes  even  better — how  to  find  the 
game. 

"  When  the  dogs  arrive  at  a  seal-house,  which  is  a 
cavity  made  in  the  snow  on  top  of  the  ice,  the  driver 
leaps  off  the  sledge,  and  then,  as  swiftly  as  possible, 
breaks  through  the  crust  of  snow  which  forms  the 
roof  of  the  young  seal's  residence.  Should  the 
young  seal  be  inside,  he  is  soon  hauled  out  with  a 
hook  attached  to  the  end  of  a  stout  stick  and  is 
quickly  despatched. 


254  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

"  But  these  little  creatures  are  very  wary,  and  are 
by  no  means  easily  caught.  Even  on  the  day  of 
their  birth  they  are  able,  if  alarmed — and  their  hear 
ing  is  remarkably  acute — to  slip  down  into  the  sea 
below ;  this  acuteness  of  hearing  makes  it  exceed 
ingly  difficult  to  get  near  their  dwellings  without 
being  heard. 

"  The  mother  seal,  also,  uses  every  precaution 
for  the  safety  of  her  baby ;  and  should  she  hear  any 
noise  on  the  top  of  the  snow,  as  she  will  probably  be 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  little  dwelling,  if  not  actually 
inside  suckling  her  little  one,  will  take  hold  of  her 
baby  with  her  teeth,  as  a  cat  will  carry  her  kitten, 
and  plunge  down  through  the  escape  hole  into  the 
sea.  She  then  swims  to  another  hole,  for  she  has 
several  others  in  the  neighbourhood,  constructed 
as  means  of  retreat  in  times  of  danger. 

"  Young  seals  that  are  captured  are  generally 
those  which  the  mother  has  left  for  a  short  time 
while  she  is  diving  in  search  of  food  ;  or  again,  others 
may  be  captured  when  the  crust  of  snow  becomes 
soft  by  mild  weather  or  the  mid-day  rays  of  the 
sun,  and  the  hunter  is  able  then  to  remove  the  snow 
roof  of  the  house  noiselessly  and  quickly. 

"  The  Eskimos  use  the  skins  of  the  young  seals 
for  their  inside  coats  and  trousers,  and  the  flesh  is 
considered  a  delicacy. 

"  As  regards  the  trip  on  which  I  went,  nothing 
came  of  it;  we  were  quite  unsuccessful.  Several 


PLOUGHING    AND    SOWING  255 

seal-houses  were  broken  open,  but  the  cry  of  my 
companion  was  invariably  the  same — '  Akkangmut ! 
akkangmut !  i.e.  '  He  (the  seal)  has  gone  down,  he 
has  dived.' 

"  Thursday,  23rd. — A  fearful  day  /  Heavy  storm. 
Could  not  have  the  people  together,  but  managed 
to  crawl  into  several  of  their  abodes  and  spoke  to 
the  inmates  concerning  their  souls. 

"  But  this  visiting  in  bad  weather  is  no  joke.  To 
enter  the  snow-house  one  has  to  struggle  through 
a  mass  of  growling,  snarling  dogs,  who  generally 
congregate  in  the  outer  passage  or  porch  which 
leads  into  the  main  building.  On  getting  inside  I 
am  generally  covered  with  snow,  which  the  Eskimos 
kindly  but  vigorously  try  to  knock  off  with  flat  kind 
of  sticks  which  they  keep  for  this  purpose.  After 
a  good  'lambasting,'  and  many  efforts  on  my  own 
part  to  shake  off  the  mass  of  sticky  snow,  I  shake 
hands  with  them,  and  have  a  friendly  chat  for  a 
minute,  before  plunging  into  the  matter  of  the 
teaching. 

"  As  the  knowledge  and  intelligence  of  the  people 
varies  very  much,  one  has  to  be  careful  to  use  the 
right  matter  for  their  various  needs,  never,  of  course, 
forgetting  to  put  Jesus  Christ  before  them  as  the 
Saviour  of  sinners,  the  One  who  can  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  word  save  them  from  the  guilt  and  power 
of  sin. 

"  I  generally  stay  about  twenty  minutes  in  each 


256          THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

house,  and  then,  after  a  hearty  shake  hands  all 
round,  I  commence  my  exit,  once  more  crawling 
on  hands  and  knees,  and  am  heartily  glad  when  I 
have  again  safely  passed  through  the  growling  dogs 
and  have  reached  the  outer  world." 

On  Monday,  May  4,  Mr.  Peck  left  the  Kikkerton 
neighbourhood.  Several  of  the  people  brought  him 
a  parting  gift  of  young  seal  skins  before  he  started. 
"  Then  as  the  sledge  moved  over  the  frozen  waste," 
he  writes.  "  I  heard  some  of  the  little  band  I  had 
left  behind  singing  hymns.  What  a  joyful  sound 
to  hear  in  this  frozen  land  ! 

"  Our  dogs,  numbering  fourteen  in  all,  pulled 
away  with  a  will,  and  we  speedily  lost  sight  of  the 
station  and  its  inhabitants.  Two  men  accompanied 
me  on  this  occasion,  which  is  unusual,  seeing  that  I 
usually  help  with  the  sledge  on  all  my  journeys 
thus  saving  the  use  of  a  second  man." 

There  is  a  touch  of  drollery  about  this  affair  that 
makes  it  worth  recording.  All  the  able-bodied 
men  were  at  this  time  in  the  boats  employed  in  the 
whale  fishing  by  Mr.  Mutch,  Mr.  Noble's  agent, 
consequently  there  had  been  a  difficulty  in  finding 
a  wholly  sound  man  to  drive  and  guide  the  sledge. 
The  man  who  owned  the  larger  number  of  the  dogs 
was  almost  blind,  he  therefore  needed  another  man 
with  good  sight  to  point  out  the  way.  The  only 
other  man  available  at  the  station  was  lame  in  one 
leg,  it  was  necessary  therefore  for  the  two  men  to 


PLOUGHING    AND   SOWING          257 

accompany  the  sledge,  for  the  lame  man  could  not 
drive,  and  the  blind  man  could  not  guide,  but  be 
tween  them  both  they  managed  to  do  the  work  of 
one  sound  man. 

After  travelling  about  thirty-five  miles,  they  met 
a  party  of  Eskimos  living  near  some  islands,  and 
Mr.  Peck  essayed  a  visit  to  the  "  chief  residence." 

"  But,"  he  writes,  "  the  smell  inside  was  so  awful 
that  I  was  compelled  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  and 
fixing  my  little  canvas  tent,  was  glad  to  make  the 
best  of  out-door  quarters  rather  than  attempt  to 
pass  a  night  in  such  an  inferno  as  that  which  I  had 
begun  to  enter." 

Tuesday  the  journey  was  continued,  and  again 
on  Wednesday,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  was  snow 
ing  heavily  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  day. 

"Arrived  at  Blacklead  Island  about  ten  p.m.," 
writes  Mr.  Peck,  "  and  was  most  warmly  received 
by  the  people,  and  was  thankful  to  meet  again  my 
fellow-labourer  and  loved  friend,  Mr.  Parker,  who, 
I  was  delighted  to  find,  was  well  and  hearty.  Thank 
God  for  His  upholding  and  sustaining  grace  shown 
so  freelv  to  us  both." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  CORN  OF  WHEAT 
"In  deaths  oft" 

NOT  a  great  deal  has  been  said  about  Mr.  Parker 
in  these  pages.  The  reason,  of  course,  is  that 
a  young  missionary  cannot,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
at  first  figure  in  the  active  work  of  the  Mission  so 
prominently  as  his  elder  colleague  who  has  had 
many  years  of  experience.  His  time  is  necessarily 
taken  up  with  learning  the  language,  the  habits, 
and  ways  of  the  people  to  whom  he  is  sent. 

Mr.  Parker,  however,  had  made  very  rapid  ad 
vance.  On  Mr.  Peck's  return  from  Kikkerton  he 
tells  us  that  his  companion  is  fairly  proficient  in  the 
language,  and  is  able  to  take  the  meetings  and 
instruct  the  people. 

He  had  previously  won  his  way  to  the  hearts  of 
the  Eskimos  through  his  medical  skill  and  sympa 
thetic  manner.  They  called  him  "  Lukta,"  which 
was  their  corruption  of  our  word  Doctor.  But 
more  than  this,  as  he  was  somewhat  short  in  stature, 
they  had  bestowed  upon  him  a  diminutive  of  affec 
tion,  "  Luktakuluk,"  which  is  "  the  kind  little 
doctor."  The  native  children  had  also  become  very 
much  attached  to  him. 

Altogether,  he  seemed  to  be  becoming  now  daily 


A   CORN    OF   WHEAT  259 

more  useful  to  his  colleague  and  more  necessary  to 
the  Mission.  But  God  sees  differently  from  man, 
and  His  ways  are  not  our  ways.  It  was  quite 
impossible  to  foresee  the  blow  that  was  about  to  fall. 

Everything  was  looking  bright,  the  dark  and  cold 
of  winter  were  things  of  the  past.  "  We  spend  as 
much  time  as  possible  in  the  open  air  and  enjoy  the 
sun's  genial  rays.  Grasses  and  other  small  plants 
in  sheltered  nooks  are  looking  beautiful  in  their 
summer  garb.  How  I  do  admire  them,  and  thank 
God  for  giving  us  these  tokens  of  His  bounty  and 
goodness."  The  night  was  as  bright  as  the  day, 
and  sometimes  even  the  heat  would  be  excessive. 
The  longest  day  came  and  went ;  every  day  was 
busy.  Mr.  Parker  was  working  especially  hard 
upon  an  Eskimo  dictionary.  In  the  beginning  of 
August  an  opportunity  for  a  holiday  and  recreation 
was  offered  him.  Mr.  Hall,  Mr.  Noble's  chief 
agent,  made  arrangements  to  go  to  a  river  some 
twenty  miles  away  in  order  to  catch  salmon.  It 
was  proposed  that  Mr.  Parker  should  join  the 
fishing  party  and  really  enjoy  a  holiday  expedition. 

Mr.  Peck  cordially  endorsed  the  proposal.  "As 
my  dear  brother  really  needs  a  change  and  rest,  I 
quite  agree  with  him  that  the  trip  will  be  (D.V.) 
beneficial,  and  I  gladly  offer  to  remain  and  hold  the 
post  while  he  is  away." 

On  Sunday  evening,  August  9,  Mr. Parker  addressed 
a  very  attentive  gathering,  and  the  following  day 


260  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

was  chiefly  occupied  with  preparation  for  the 
journey.  But  here  we  will  allow  Mr.  Peck  to  tell 
the  story  of  what  happened  almost  in  his  own  words, 
as  the  entries  are  made  in  his  diary. 

"  On  Tuesday,  August  n,  we  rose  early,  and  after 
breakfast  had  our  usual  reading  and  prayer  to 
gether.  The  portion  of  God's  word  for  the  morning 
was  Luke  xiii.,  from  verse  31  to  the  end  of  the 
chapter."  The  last  verse  is  the  solemn  one  which 
here  seems  to  have  a  peculiar  adaptation,  "  Behold, 
your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate :  and  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see  me  until  the  time 
come  when  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

The  boat  was  ready,  and  "  I  went  out  to  see  Mr. 
Parker  start.  There  was  a  fresh  breeze  blowing, 
but  nothing  to  cause  anxiety.  After  a  hearty  shake 
of  the  hand,  and  watching  the  boat  out  of  sight  of 
the  island,  I  returned  to  our  little  house.  The 
passage  of  Scripture  which  came  that  day  in  my 
ordinary  consecutive  study  happened  to  be  the 
20th  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  which 
speaks  so  touchingly  of  Paul's  farewell  to  the  Elders 
of  the  Ephesian  Church.  While  reading  this  portion 
I  was  almost  overcome  with  a  strange,  overpowering 
emotion  which  I  cannot  describe,  but  which  par 
took  of  the  nature  of  a  hallowed  but  awfully  solemn 
and  tender  sense  of  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  of 
strangely  drawn-out  affection  for  Mr.  Parker." 


A    CORN    OF   WHEAT  261 

On  Wednesday  the  weather  became  cold  and 
windy,  but  on  Thursday  it  calmed  down  again,  and 
"  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Sheridan,  Mr.  Noble's  agent, 
who  remained  at  the  post.  He  had  intended  to 
go  with  the  others  on  the  salmon-fishing  expedition, 
but  he  changed  his  mind  at  the  last  moment,  as 
he  was  feeling  unwell.  There  were  consequently 
seven  men  in  the  boat  instead  of  eight,  viz.,  Captain 
Clisby,  Mr.  Parker,  Mr.  Hall,  and  four  Eskimos. 
The  object  of  my  visit  to  Mr.  Sheridan  was  to  arrange 
for  a  trip  to-morrow  to  a  place  called  Noujakhalik, 
some  three  miles  from  here. 

"  The  people  were  anxious  to  get  some  shell  fish 
which  are  found  in  the  sand  at  low  water  at  Nou 
jakhalik,  and  I  was  feeling  the  need  of  one  day's 
change. 

"  On  Friday,  August  14,  the  weather  was  very 
fine,  and  we  got  together  a  crew  of  Eskimos  and 
made  a  start.  We  reached  our  destination,  and 
had  been  ashore  about  three  hours  when  an  Eskimo, 
who  had  been  to  the  north  in  his  kayak  hunting, 
came  to  us  with  the  awful  news  of  his  having  found 
a  boat  with  a  dead  body  inside  ;  he  also  stated  most 
positively  that  the  boat  was  the  very  one  in  which 
our  friends  had  sailed  on  the  Tuesday. 

"  I  was  utterly  overcome  with  the  horror  of  the 
news,  and  could  only  kneel  down  and  try  to  cast  the 
awful  burden  upon  the  Lord. 

"  Gathering  the  people  together,  we  pulled  some 


262  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

miles  in  a  northerly  direction,  and  there  we  found 
the  ill-fated  boat,  not  bottom  up  as  we  expected  to 
find  her,  but  quite  upright  and  almost  full  of  water, 
with  a  dead  body,  face  downwards,  across  the 
thwarts.  The  body  was  that  of  Captain  Clisby. 

"  As  the  weather  was  calm,  and  the  boat  did  not 
appear  much  damaged,  I  got  one  or  two  of  the  men 
to  help  me  bale  her  out.  After  some  time  spent 
in  hard  baling  we  got  the  water  under,  and  managed 
to  plug  up  some  of  the  holes  in  her  with  oakum. 
Then  taking  her  in  tow,  we  succeeded  in  reaching 
Blacklead  Island  late  in  the  evening. 

"  Our  arrival  caused,  as  may  well  be  imagined, 
great  consternation  and  grief.  The  relatives  of  some 
of  the  men  were  on  the  island,  and  then  all  the 
people  knew  what  a  friend  they  had  lost  in  Mr. 
Parker. 

"  Captain  Sheridan,  a  Captain  Marshall,  and 
myself  carried  the  body  of  Captain  Clisby  up  to 
Mr.  Noble's  store. 

"  Here,  on  examining  the  body,  and  from  the 
marks  and  wounds  discovered,  together  with  the 
position  in  which  we  found  the  deceased,  we  are 
led  to  infer  that  after  the  boat  left  Blacklead  Island 
(the  wind  was  quite  fair  when  she  started)  the  boat's 
boom-end,  through  the  motion  of  the  craft,  was 
rolled  under  the  water,  and  while  the  boat  was 
thus  held  down  the  sea  rushed  into  her. 

"  In   this   emergency   Captain    Clisby,    knowing 


A    CORN    OF   WHEAT  263 

that  the  only  way  of  saving  his  companions  was  to 
get  the  boat  upright,  bravely  rushed  for'ard,  cut 
the  halyards  of  the  sail  and  the  rigging  on  one  side 
of  the  mast.  He  then  evidently  managed  to  get 
to  the  other  side  of  the  boat,  and  was  engaged  in 
clearing  away  the  remaining  stays  which  held  the 
mast  when  the  boat  must  have  suddenly  righted 
herself,  the  mast  toppled  over,  tore  away  the  socket 
in  which  its  heel  was  held,  caught  Captain  Clisby 
(on  what  would  then  be  the  lee  side  of  the  boat), 
and  there  the  brave,  devoted  fellow  must  have  been 
held,  pinned  down  as  in  a  vice  by  the  weight  and 
pressure  of  the  mast,  etc.,  and  so  perished,  partly, 
we  think,  by  the  injuries  he  had  received,  and  partly 
by  the  cold  seas  which  must  have  washed  continually 
over  him. 

"  The  others,  as  we  surmise,  must  have  held  on 
to  the  boat  as  long  as  possible,  but  were  finally 
overcome  with  the  cold  and  washed  off. 

"Oh,  the  utter  sadness  of  the  awful  catastrophe  ! 
What  can  one  do  in  this  trying  hour  ?  Our  refuge 
is  in  God  !  We  know  His  love  never  fails  !  What 
He  doeth  we  know  not  now,  but  we  shall  know 
hereafter." 

On  August  15  "  I  consulted  Captain  Sheridan, 
and  it  was  decided  that  he  should  take  the  few 
men  now  on  the  island,  and  look  for  any  further 
signs  of  wreckage.  We  also  thought  (although  the 
chances  are  slight  indeed)  that  some  of  the  party 


264  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

might  possibly  have  reached  one  of  the  islands 
about  here. 

"  As  Captain  Sheridan  knows  all  the  land  there 
about,  it  was  arranged  that  he  should  take  the 
search  party,  and  that  I,  with  the  help  of  an  Eskimo, 
should  make  a  coffin  for  the  remains  of  our  friend, 
Captain  Clisby. 

"  Captain  Sheridan  returned  in  the  evening  with 
the  sad  intelligence  that  not  a  vestige  of  anything 
or  any  one  had  been  seen." 

"  Sunday,  i6th. — the  remains  of  Captain  Clisby 
were  laid  to  rest.  Nearly  all  the  people  attended 
the  funeral.  Two  boats  were  manned,  and  the 
coffin  being  placed  in  the  stern-sheets  of  one,  we 
then  proceeded  to  an  island  some  four  or  five  miles 
from  here.  This  island  has  been  used  as  a  burial 
place  for  many  years  for  men  who  have  died  in  the 
country.  I  counted  some  twenty-five  graves, 
several  of  which  contained  the  remains  of  men  who 
had  died  on  board  the  whaling  ships. 

"  Some  of  the  graves  had  boards  erected  over 
them,  giving  the  name,  age,  etc.,  of  the  deceased. 
One  I  particularly  noticed  gave  the  names  of  three 
poor  fellows  who  had  died  of  scurvy.  Another 
board  gave  the  mournful  record  of  two  men  who 
had  perished  in  a  snow-storm.  Altogether  it  was 
a  sad  and  touching  sight  to  see  all  these  tokens  of 
loving  remembrance  in  this  barren  and  lonely  spot, 
It  was  a  scene  which  thrilled  one's  soul  with  a 


A    CORN    OF   WHEAT  265 

solemn  sense  of  the  nearness  of  God  and  of  the  great 
unseen  world. 

"  After  the  Eskimos  had  cleared  away  sufficient 
sand  and  some  large  stones,  the  body  was  lowered 
into  the  grave.  I  then  called  them  together,  and, 
standing  close  about  the  open  grave,  we  all  sang, 
'  Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus.' 

"  The  Burial  Service  was  read  in  English  (Captain 
Sheridan  being  present).  I  then  read  a  portion  of 
the  same  service  in  Eskimo,  and  afterwards  spoke 
to  the  people  of  the  need  of  our  being  ever  ready — 
through  faith  in  Jesus — to  meet  our  God. 

"  Poor  people  !  They  seemed  deeply  touched. 
May  the  Lord  speak  to  them  and  to  us  all  through 
this  pressing  sorrow ! 

"  After  returning  to  Blacklead  Island  a  boat's 
crew  of  Eskimos  arrived.  They  had  picked  up  a 
few  articles  belonging  to  the  boat,  but  nothing  had 
been  seen  of  any  of  the  bodies. 

"  Captain  Sheridan  is  sending  off  another  search 
party  as  soon  as  possible,  though  we  all  feel  that  there 
is  little  hope  of  finding  either  of  our  friends  alive, 
for  the  current  where  we  believe  the  boat  was 
swamped  is  so  rapid,  and  the  water  so  cold,  owing 
to  the  immense  quantities  of  loose  ice  about,  which 
has  remained  with  us  this  summer,  that  no  one  could 
possibly  have  survived." 

"  Monday,  ijth. — Wind  too  strong  to  despatch 
the  search  boat,  as  intended.  I  feel  the  loss  of  my 


266  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

brother  Parker  intensely.  He  was  so  strong  and 
reliant  a  companion,  so  useful  with  the  people,  so 
ever  willing  to  do  anything.  How  lonely  the  little 
dwelling  looks  and  feels  now !  How  everything  I 
look  upon  and  touch  reminds  me  of  him  who  is  now 
at  rest  with  his  Lord.  I  flee  unto  Jesus  in  this 
trying,  lonely  hour  !  Thou  loving  Lord  Jesus,  how 
steadfast  Thou  art !  To  whom  should  I,  to  whom 
could  I,  go  but  to  Thee  !  " 

"  Tuesday,  the  iSth.— Climbed  the  rocks  that  I 
might  be  alone  with  God.  Had  a  season  of  very 
special  prayer  for  support  and  guidance.  Lord, 
let  Thy  will  be  made  clear.  Yea,  Thou  wilt  make 
it  clear.  Thou  has  never  failed  me  yet,  and  why 
should  I  doubt  Thee  now  ? 

"  Search  party  started  to-day.  They  are  to  go 
along  the  coast  and  islands,  and  return  in  a  week's 
time." 

"  Saturday,  22nd. — The  Alert  arrived  to-day. 
All  on  board  were  much  distressed  to  hear  of  the 
death  of  our  friends.  The  arrival  of  Mr.  Sampson, 
whom  the  Society  has  sent  to  re-inforce,  and  make 
it  possible  for  me  to  go  home  and  see  the  translated 
Gospels  through  the  press,  greatly  cheered  my  heart 
and  strengthened  my  faith  in  God,  and  gave  me  the 
assurance  that  God  wished  this  work  prosecuted. 
HE  has  heard  the  petitions  of  our  many  praying 
friends,  and  has  guided  the  committee  to  their 
decision. 


A   CORN    OF   WHEAT  267 

"  I  gave  Mr.  Sampson  a  hearty  welcome,  and  the 
first  thing  we  did  on  reaching  our  little  house  was 
to  commend  ourselves,  the  work,  and  the  people  to 
our  covenant-keeping  God.  Surely  He  will  keep 
that  which  we  commit  to  His  trust. 

"  Letters  from  loved  ones  and  friends  were  all 
encouraging,  so  there  is  much  to  thank  God  for.  I 
am  naturally  much  exercised  in  mind,  now  that 
dear  Parker  has  been  summoned  home  to  his  Lord, 
to  know  what  the  will  of  God  is  regarding  myself  at 
this  critical  time. 

"  One  fact  the  Lord  seems  clearly  to  have  im 
pressed  on  my  mind,  viz.,  that  He  does  not  will  my 
going  further  North  in  whaling  vessels  next  year, 
which  I  had  hoped  to  do. 

"  If  I  go  home  this  year,  I  have  a  strong  desire  to 
return  to  Mr.  Sampson  next  season.  But  before 
deciding  anything  I  must  know  more  of  my  dear 
brother,  and  ascertain  if  arrangements  can  be  made 
with  Mr.  Noble's  agent  here,  that,  if  necessary,  Mr. 
Sampson  can  live  with  him,  before  even  I  can  con 
template  leaving  him  even  for  the  winter. 

"  Of  course,  I  dare  not  forget  the  great  responsi 
bility  connected  with  my  dear  wife's  health,  and 
what  might  result  from  a  further  heavy  mental 
strain,  especially  considering  the  terrible  nature  of 
the  complaint  from  which  she  previously  suffered. 
Our  God  will  surely  guide  me !  I  ask  Him  for  an 
absolutely  single  eye  for  His  glory.  I  ask  for  wis- 


268  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

dom,  and  we  have  the  promise  that  if  we  commit 
our  works  (ways)  to  the  Lord,  our  thoughts  shall  be 
established.  '  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him, 
and  He  shall  direct  thy  paths.'  " 

For  the  next  three  or  four  weeks  our  missionary 
was  often  alone  in  prayer  for  the  very  special  guid 
ance  he  needed,  while  at  the  same  time  he  had  long 
consultations  over  the  position  with  his  new  col 
league,  Mr.  Sampson. 

The  people  had  taken  to  Mr.  Sampson,  and  his 
medical  knowledge  gave  him  a  ready  access  among 
them.  Then,  too,  he  showed  a  marked  linguistic 
capability,  and  began  to  study  the  language  with 
much  diligence. 

Mr.  Sheridan  readily  agreed  to  board  and  lodge 
the  new  young  missionary  if  necessary,  and  to  help 
him  in  every  way  possible,  if  Mr.  Peck  finally  de 
cided  to  go  home. 

The  Alert,  which  would  be  the  only  known 
means  of  return  to  England,  was,  however,  much 
hindered  by  successive  gales,  and  it  was  evident 
that  she  would  be  unsually  late  in  starting  on  her 
return  voyage. 

Then,  while  still  waiting  upon  God  for  guidance, 
the  Divine  hand  was  shown  to  our  Missionary  in  a 
remarkable  manner. 

About  9  a.m.  on  Thursday,  September  17,  there 
were  sounds  of  excitement  outside  the  little  house, 
and  news  was  brought  that  a  steamer  was  close  to 


A   CORN    OF   WHEAT  269 

the  island,  and  that  already  some  of  her  people  had 
come  ashore. 

The  steamer  proved  to  be  the  Hope,  with 
Lieutenant  Peary  and  his  Arctic  exploring  party  on 
board.  When  the  leader  of  the  expedition  learned 
the  position  of  affairs,  he  very  kindly  offered  Mr.  Peck 
a  passage  in  the  Hope,  which  was  bound  for  Sydney 
Harbour,  Nova  Scotia. 

From  thence  the  traveller  would  be  able  easily 
to  get  to  Halifax  or  some  other  large  port,  and  from 
there  could  ship  by  liner  for  home. 

After  renewed  prayer,  careful  consideration,  and 
a  final  consultation  with  Mr.  Sampson,  Mr.  Peck 
decided  to  take  Lieutenant  Peary's  offer  and 
return  home,  three  special  considerations  weighing 
with  him  in  all  his  deliberations  over  the  matter : 
First,  the  absolute  and  pressing  need  for  the  Gospels 
to  be  seen  through  the  press,  that  the  people  might 
have  the  Word  of  God  in  their  hands ;  second,  the 
condition  of  Mrs.  Peck's  health ;  and,  third,  the 
critical  condition  of  his  own  throat,  which,  if  not 
treated,  threatened  to  stop  all  his  work  by  actually 
rendering  him  unable  to  live  in  the  land. 

It  was  on  Thursday  that  the  Hope  arrived  off 
Blacklead  Island,  and  on  the  same  afternoon  she 
steamed  into  Nanyaktalik  harbour. 

On  the  Friday,  Mr.  Peck,  having  now  decided  to  go 
home,  went  to  Nanyaktalik  to  see  Lieutenant  Peary 
and  the  commander  of  the  Hope,  Captain  Bartlett. 


270  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

The  Hope  was  just  starting  for  Blacklead  Island, 
and  Mr.  Peck  returned  in  her,  landing  at  6  p.m. 

From  that  moment  until  midnight  he  was  busy 
packing  and  entertaining  the  numerous  callers. 

After  a  few  hours'  rest,  rising  again  at  4  a.m.,  he 
had  to  go  on  board  the  Hope,  as  she  was  to  start 
early  that  morning.  The  two  recently  united  col 
leagues  commended  each  other  to  God  and  started 
for  the  ship. 

A  touching  and  interesting  farewell  then  took  place. 
The  sorrowing  Eskimos,  fearing  that  they  would 
see  the  face  of  their  beloved  teacher  no  more, 
crowded  on  board  for  a  sad  good-bye.  Some  of  the 
old  women  produced  knives,  and  requested  Mr. 
Peck  to  cut  their  flesh  deeply,  so  that  they  might 
always  have  a  scar  to  look  at  and  remind  them  of 
him.  It  is  only  fair,  however,  to  say  that  they  did 
not  mean  or  expect  their  friend  to  take  them  at  their 
word.  It  was  merely  a  form  of  expressing  their 
love  and  sorrow,  and  an  indication  of  the  wound 
that  the  separation  would  cause  in  their  hearts. 
k  It  is  needless  to  say  that  Mr.  Peck  was  deeply 
touched  by  these  tokens  of  affection,  and  full  of 
sadness  as  well  as  bright  hope,  he  watched  his  island 
disappear  as  the  steamer  forged  ahead. 

We  do  not  know  that  Mr.  Peck  ever  had  any  real 
intention  of  saying  a  final  farewell  at  this  time  to 
his  Eskimo  friends  at  Blacklead  Island.  We  do 
not  think  he  seriously  contemplated  such  a  step, 


A  CORN  OF  WHEAT  271 

though  perhaps  a  sentence  in  his  diary  might  lead 
to  such  a  supposition.  But  whether  he  did  so  or 
not,  the  death  of  his  colleague  put  it  quite  out  of 
the  question.  He  recognizes  this  when,  in  speaking 
of  his  future  return,  he  remarks,  "  the  path  of  duty 
is  the  path  of  safety."  He  saw  his  path  of  duty 
plainly  marked  out  for  him ;  he  heard  the  voice  of 
God  telling  him  that  his  sojourn  in  England  would 
be  brief,  no  matter  how  the  ties  of  relationship  and 
earthly  affection  might  seem  to  bind  him  to  the 
old  country. 


CHAPTER  XV 

BEARING  BURDENS 

"  We  lose  what  on  ourselves  we  spend, 
We  have  as  treasure  without  end 
Whatever,  Lord,  to  Thee  we  lend, 
Who  givest  all." 

WE  need  not  follow  Mr.  Peck  in  his  work  during 
the  months  he  was  permitted  to  spend  in 
England.  The  chief  thing  that  concerns  this  record 
of  his  missionary  efforts  is  that  he  had  brought 
home  in  manuscript  the  four  gospels  in  the  Eskimo 
language.  These  were  printed  by  the  Bible  Society, 
and  when  he  returned  to  Blacklead  Island  in  the 
summer  of  1897  he  was  able  to  place  these  invaluable 
aids  to  his  work  in  the  hands  of  the  people  and  teach 
them  to  read  them  for  themselves. 

The  Alert  sailed  once  more  early  in  July.  The 
voyage  was  a  particularly  bad  one.  Even  an  old 
sailor  like  Mr.  Peck  was  troubled  with  sea-sickness 
for  days  together,  and  the  reader  of  his  journals  is 
inclined  to  think  that  there  was  a  considerable 
amount  of  danger^for  the  brave  little  ship  that  faced 
the  Arctic  seas.  At  last,  however,  on  Sunday, 
August  22,  Blacklead  Island  was  sighted,  and  the 
next  day  Mr.  Peck  was  able  to  land.  A  very  warm 

87* 


BEARING    BURDENS  273 

greeting  and  welcome  awaited  him  from  Mr.  C.  G. 
Sampson,  whose  coming,  as  recorded  in  the  last 
chapter,  had  enabled  the  senior  missionary  to  go 
home  the  year  before. 

The  report  Mr.  Sampson  was  able  to  give  of  the 
work  of  the  past  year  was  most  encouraging,  and 
he  himself  had  made  such  progress  in  the  language 
that  he  had  been  able  to  conduct  meetings  and  teach 
the  people  regularly. 

When  Mr.  Peck  and  Mr,  Parker  first  went  to 
Blacklead  Island,  a  two-roomed  hut,  as  was  men 
tioned  in  a  previous  chapter,  had  been  assigned 
them  as  a  dwelling-place.  Now  a  more  commodious 
dwelling  had  been  brought  out,  and  the  first  work 
was  to  find  a  site  for  it  and  fit  it  together.  To 
find  a  site  among  the  rough  rocks  was  no  easy  task, 
and  the  erection  of  the  building  in  the  absence  of 
all  skilled  labour  occupied  the  two  missionaries 
many  days,  aided  as  they  were  by  Eskimos  only. 

They  were  at  this  time  working  daily,  in  various 
ways,  seventeen  hours  out  of  twenty-four — a  fairly 
high  pressure. 

But  when  their  nice  new  building  was  ready  it 
was  devoted  to  another  purpose.  It  had  been 
Mr.  Peck's  intention  to  move  into  the  new  abode 
and  then  adapt  the  old  house  for  Church  purposes. 
But  there  were  so  many  Eskimos  at  this  time  on 
the  island  that  "  we  have  decided  to  use  the  building 
which  was  intended  for  our  dwelling-house  for  a 

18 


274  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

church,  and  later  on,  when  we  can  get  the  house  in 
which  we  are  now  living  enlarged  and  properly 
fitted  up,  we  shall  be  able  (D.V.)  to  go  to  our  more 
comfortable  and  capacious  quarters.  Certainly  I 
cannot  say  that  I  look  forward  (speaking  of  one's 
own  bodily  comfort)  with  any  feelings  of  pleasure 
to  spending  another  season  in  a  bedroom  (for  two) 
not  ten  feet  square.  There  is  neither  room  for 
privacy  nor  common  decency  in  such  a  place. 
But  these  facts  must  not  weigh  against  the  spiritual 
good  and  comfort  of  the  Eskimos.  And  Mr. 
Sampson  and  I  will,  through  God's  grace,  be  able 
to  live  at  least  for  one  winter  in  our  limited  quarters." 
When  we  read  an  extract  of  this  kind  in  any 
man's  diary,  perhaps  we  understand  why  the  house 
occupies  so  prominent  a  position  in  the  prohibition 
of  the  Tenth  Commandment. 

The  opening  services  in  this  building  thus  freely 
given  up  were  most  encouraging.  Mr.  Noble's 
agent  and  the  crew  of  the  Alert  were  invited.  In 
the  morning  more  than  a  hundred  Eskimos  were 
present.  In  the  evening  about  the  same  number 
gathered  together  and  all  the  white  men  as  well. 
"  It  was  indeed  a  happy  time,  made  so  by  the  pre 
sence  and  blessing  of  God,  and  by  the  fact  that  severa  1 
of  the  Eskimos  held  in  their  hands  and  read  with  me 
a  portion  of  our  Saviour's  precious  words  from  the 
gospels  which  had  been  printed  by  the  Bible  Society." 
And  so  in  settling  down  to  their  winter  work 


BEARING    BURDENS  275 

there  seemed  to  be  a  bright  prospect  before  the 
missionaries. 

But  once  more  the  devil  showed  them  that  he 
did  not  intend  them  to  have  things  all  their  own 
way,  and  by  his  opposition  he  gave  them  the  satis 
faction  of  knowing  that  he  considered  their  work  a 
serious  invasion  of  his  own  dominions. 

Difficulties  arose,  chiefly  from  an  unusually 
stormy  season  setting  in  and  the  consequent  scarcity 
of  provisions.  Time  after  time  we  read  of  a  "  trying 
week,"  and  that  the  people  on  the  island  were 
"  almost  starving "  because  they  were  unable  to 
catch  any  seals ;  or  again  it  is  "  no  whales  seen, 
and  the  outlook  is  anything  but  pleasant." 

The  effect  of  this  continued  bad  state  of  things 
was  two-fold.  First,  numbers  of  the  Eskimos 
"  moved  by  the  powers  of  darkness,  commenced 
their  heathen  practices  again."  The  conjurors 
met  together  and  started  their  incantations  on 
behalf  of  fine  weather. 

This  was  on  a  Saturday,  and  they  kept  up  their 
ceremonies  during  the  following  Sunday,  making 
the  island  "  more  like  a  pandemonium  than  a  place 
where  Christ's  Gospel  had  been  preached."  But 
even  this  was  a  crisis  not  without  its  encouraging 
side.  For  the  missionaries,  determined  that  Satan 
should  not  have  it  all  his  own  way,  summoned  the 
people  to  morning  and  evening  services,  and  their 
hearts  were  rejoiced  to  find  that  many  who  had  held 


276  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

aloof  from  their  heathen  neighbours,  and  had  not 
bowed  the  knee  to  Baal,  responded  to  the  call. 
Then  again  a  second  result  was  that  the  men  had 
to  be  away  so  much  of  their  time,  Sundays  included, 
seeking  for  their  bare  means  of  subsistence,  hunting 
seals,  that  they  had  but  few  opportunities  of  meeting 
together  for  instruction.  If  they  did  return  at 
night  they  were  too  weary  and  tired  for  anything 
but  to  take  such  food  as  was  available  and  turn  in 
for  a  night's  rest.  We  find  frequent  laments  in 
Mr.  Peck's  diaries  that  Sunday  was  not  better 
observed  by  those  who  had  attached  themselves 
to  Christian  teaching,  but  in  the  face  of  dire  necessity 
he  found  it  quite  impossible  to  forbid  the  men 
going.  It  certainly  was  a  case  of  endeavouring  to 
pull  the  ox  or  the  ass  out  of  the  pit  on  the  Sabbath 
day,  and  the  action  of  the  hunters  would  come  under 
the  sanction  of  our  Lord :  "  To  do  good  on  the  Sabbath 
day  is  lawful." 

But  there  is  at  least  one  note  of  thankfulness 
in  this  connection.  On  one  occasion  "  the  weather 
was  nice  and  bright,  and  some  of  the  men  refrained 
from  hunting  so  as  to  join  us  at  our  meetings. 
Thank  God  for  this  token  of  His  help  and  blessing." 

Great  perils  had  at  times  to  be  faced  in  hunting, 
as  we  have  seen  in  previous  chapters,  and  generally 
it  might  be  said  that  the  greater  the  scarcity,  the 
greater  the  danger.  For  naturally  the  men  in  their 
need  would  go  further  afield  and  brave  all  kinds 


BEARING    BURDENS  277 

of  difficult  positions  for  the  sake  of  supplying  the 
wants  of  themselves  and  their  families. 

One  account  is  given  of  a  party  of  Eskimos  who 
arrived  at  Blacklead  Island  in  a  most  famished 
condition.  Their  sufferings  had  been  very  great. 
They  had  travelled  inland,  before  winter  had  set 
in,  for  nearly  a  month  and  succeeded  in  reaching  a 
lake  called  Augmakruk.  Here  they  found  a  con 
siderable  number  of  reindeer.  After  a  time  they 
retraced  their  steps  to  a  place  some  little  distance 
from  the  coast  where  they  had  left  their  boat. 
On  the  return  journey  they  saw  no  reindeer,  and 
only  succeeded  in  keeping  themselves  alive  by  the 
greatest  economy  in  using  the  limited  supply  of 
deer's  meat  they  had  on  hand.  On  reaching  the 
coast  they  found  the  ice  had  formed  there,  but 
it  was  not  strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of 
the  boat,  so  that  they  were  unable  to  convey  it  at 
once  to  the  open  sea.  It  took  them  ten  days  to 
overcome  the  innumerable  difficulties  and  launch 
their  boat.  During  this  time  they  were  compelled 
to  eat  their  dogs.  At  last,  in  a  sorry  plight,  they 
managed  to  reach  Blacklead  Island. 

At  another  time  Mr.  Peck  records,  "  I  saw  two 
men  on  a  piece  of  ice  which  they  used  as  a  kind  of 
boat,  and  on  which  they  made  their  way  to  a  large 
body  of  ice  near  the  island.  It  is  by  no  means 
unusual  for  them — in  the  event  of  a  seal  being  shot 
in  the  open  water — to  break  off  with  their  harpoons 


278  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

a  large  flat  piece  of  ice  from  the  main  floe,  and  on 
this  they  make  their  way  to  the  seal,  often  using 
the  butt  ends  of  their  guns  for  paddles.  As  might 
be  expected  terrible  accidents  sometimes  occur 
through  these  dangerous  exploits.  Several  men 
have  been  carried  out  to  sea  by  the  force  of  the 
wind  and  have  thus  been  lost." 

The  day  following  this  last  entry  in  the  diary 
there  occurs  another :  "A  few  Eskimos  arrived 
to-day  from  the  north.  They  brought  sad  news. 
No  less  than  four  of  the  band  who  left  here  to  go 
to  the  reindeer  country  have  been  starved  or  frozen 
to  death." 

Hunger  was  not  the  only  suffering  that  followed 
the  failure  of  seals.  Cold  also  was  a  result.  "  A 
fine  day,  but  only  one  seal  caught.  Some  of  the 
people  keep  in  bed  all  day,  as  they  have  no  oil  to 
warm  their  snow  dwellings." 

One's  sympathy  is  called  forth  by  these  records, 
and  one  feels  a  great  sorrow  for  those  who  eke  out 
such  a  precarious  existence  as  that  of  these  ice-dwellers. 
At  the  same  time,  however,  it  is  possible  that  the 
inhabitants  have  brought  on  themselves  to  some 
extent  the  trials  which  they  have  to  suffer.  For 
in  a  time  of  plenty  Mr.  Peck  mentions  in  his  diary 
that  "  the  people  seem  to  have  got  what  we  might 
almost  call  the  seal  fever.  Morning,  noon  and  night 
they  seem  to  delight  in  slaying  these  creatures, 
and  although  in  some  cases  the  meat  is  actually 


BEARING    BURDENS  279 

rotting  in  their  tents  they  go  on  destroying  anything 
they  can  lay  their  hands  on.  I  spoke  to  some  of 
them  pretty  plainly,  and  pointed  out  their  ingratitude 
to  the  Giver  of  every  good  gift." 

Perhaps  after  this  we  are  not  very  much  surprised 
to  read  in  a  later  note,  "  Here  we  find  that  the  seals 
are  pretty  nearly  exterminated." 

So  probably  the  spirit  of  kill,  kill,  kill  is  ingrained 
in  man  wherever  he  lives,  south  or  north,  west  or 
east.  Laws  for  the  protection  of  the  lower  creation 
over  which  he  is  tyrant  are  needed  universally. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  missionaries 
sat  all  this  time  in  their  hut  with  their  stores  around 
them  unconcerned  at  the  sufferings  of  the  Eskimos. 
We  have,  in  the  course  of  these  pages,  learned  to 
know  Mr.  Peck  and  his  colleagues  better  than  that. 
If  a  brother  or  a  sister  were  naked  and  destitute  of 
daily  food,  they  did  not  say,  "  Depart  in  peace, 
be  ye  warmed  and  filled,"  without  giving  them  those 
things  that  were  needful  for  the  body.  They  both 
preached  and  acted  the  Gospel. 

There  was  plenty  of  use  for  the  seeming  abundance 
of  stores  that  we  saw  in  a  former  chapter  had  been 
laid  in  at  the  Mission  station.  "  We  made  a  large 
kettle  of  porridge  and  gave  the  very  needy  ones  a 
good  meal,"  is  a  note  that  seems  just  to  introduce 
a  coming  time  of  distress.  It  becomes  more  serious 
when  "  a  deep  and  soft  coat  of  snow  makes  travelling 
about  almost  impossible.  We  did  what  we  could 


28o  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

by  making  large  kettles  of  soup,  and  feeding  in  this 
manner  about  twenty  families  a  day.  I  think  the 
people,  in  some  cases  at  least,  appreciated  our 
kindness.  In  any  case  we  must  do  what  we  can 
for  Christ.  Too  often  we  expect  to  be,  as  it  were, 
propped  up  by  the  good  wishes  and  gratitude  of  our 
fellow  creatures.  But  it  is  wiser  to  look  to  Jesus 
and  to  do  what  we  do  for  Him.  He  certainly  never 
disappoints  us." 

Times  of  real  anxiety  were  not  unknown  to  the 
missionaries  lest  their  own  stock  of  provisions  should 
fail.  This  was  not  at  all  impossible,  humanly 
speaking.  For  it  must  always  be  borne  in  mind 
that  their  food  supplies  depended  upon  the 
arrival  of  one  small  sailing  vessel,  which  had  to 
accomplish  a  perilous  voyage.  If  by  any  chance 
she  failed  in  her  mission,  the  season  would  be  too 
far  advanced  with  ice  for  any  other  to  make  the 
attempt.  So  the  diary  says :  "  We  have  a  heavy 
drain  on  our  limited  stock  of  provisions,  and  alto 
gether  our  surroundings  are  far  from  pleasant. 
However,  we  seek  to  stay  our  minds  upon  God, 
and  to  take  our  cares  to  Him." 

In  1899  the  danger  just  spoken  of  seemed  really 
to  threaten.  In  May,  "the  people  on  the  island 
were  very  much  in  need  of  food.  We  can  do  little 
for  them  as  we  have  given  away  nearly  all  our  stock. 
The  weather  has  been  most  changeable  of  late,  and 
the  distress  is  great.  May  the  Lord  in  answer  to 


BEARING    BURDENS  281 

prayer  soon  stay  the  winds  and  storms.  I  am,  at 
this  season,  reminded  often  of  the  green  fields  at 
home.  Here  we  see  nothing  but  rocks  and  snow, 
and  we  seem  to  live  in  an  everlasting  winter." 

August  at  length  came,  and  when  it  was  well 
advanced,  "  we  are  now  beginning  to  look  out  for 
the  Alert.  May  God  keep  the  little  vessel  and 
bring  her  safely  here  with  our  supplies." 

From  Sunday,  August  20  to  August  27,  almost 
every  day  "  we  climbed  the  rocks  and  gazed  at  the 
horizon  anxiously  expecting  the  Alert  with  our 
supplies,  and  news  from  loved  ones.  The  poor 
people  on  the  island  are  in  a  sad  state.  Most  of 
them  are  living  on  the  shell  fish  which  they  dig 
out  of  the  sand.  We  can  do  nothing  for  them ; 
our  stock  of  provisions  is  exhausted"  But  still 
day  after  day  went  by  so  that  they  were  almost 
fearing  the  worst.  At  last,  however,  on  September  7 
the  joyful  news  was  passed  round  that  a  vessel  had 
been  sighted  in  the  distance.  "  We  can  just  make 
out  her  masts.  God  be  praised.  The  Lord  is 
gracious  and  kind  to  us  !  "  is  the  entry  in  the  diary. 
Two  days  later,  on  September  9,  the  Alert  was 
safely  anchored  off  the  island,  and  discharging  her 
precious  cargo. 

We  have  seen  enough  to  understand  that  alto 
gether  the  second  sojourn  of  Mr.  Peck  at  Cumberland 
Sound  was  a  time  of  great  trial  and  one  that  called 
for  a  great  amount  of  faith,  as  far  as  the  things  of 


282  THE    LIFE   OF   E.    J.  PECK 

this  world  were  concerned.  But  we  know  that 
trials  in  things  temporal  are  intended  to  teach  us 
to  look  more  away  from  them  to  the  eternal.  So 
we  ask  what  was  the  progress  in  things  spiritual 
during  this  period. 

That  the  people  were  united  to  the  missionaries 
by  ties  of  affection  there  could  be  no  doubt.  We 
have  seen  the  farewell  that  they  took  of  Mr.  Peck 
when  he  was  leaving  for  England  and  the  love  that 
was  shown  him  then.  We  know  something  of  the 
warm  welcome  that  was  invariably  shown  him  when 
he  visited  the  people  in  their  homes  and  was  enter 
tained  by  them  when  on  tour  for  days  together. 

We  know  that  these  cords  of  personal  attachment 
must  have  been  drawn  tighter  when  he  ungrudgingly 
gave  out  his  stores  of  provisions  for  their  relief  in 
time  of  need.  But  we  also  know  that  in  these 
closer  bonds  of  affection  and  association  he  was 
always  finding  more  and  more  opportunities  of 
pressing  the  claims  of  Christ  upon  them. 

That  there  was  response  we  can  see.  A  straw 
will  show  which  way  the  wind  blows,  and  so  when 
we  read  of  men  abstaining  from  hunting,  although 
the  weather  was  favourable,  in  order  that  they 
might  attend  meetings  for  Christian  instruction, 
we  can  infer  a  great  deal. 

Besides  this,  a  man  named  Kukkak,  who  had  been 
instructed  first  some  two  years  previously,  began  in 
the  spring  of  1898  to  show  signs  of  spiritual  life. 


BEARING    BURDENS  283 

He  was  overcome  by  a  sense  of  his  sin  in  the  past, 
and  had  a  desire  to  know  more  of  the  Saviour. 
Mr.  Peck  met  him  at  this  time  during  a  journey  to 
Kikkerton. 

Again,  at  the  end  of  April  many  of  the  men  left 
Blacklead  Island  to  go  to  the  edge  of  the  ice  floe, 
about  18  miles  distant.  They  were  to  be  away 
some  time,  as  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  to 
catch  whales.  A  few  words  in  the  diary  seem 
to  bring  the  scene  before  us.  "  The  whaling  boats 
which  were  to  be  taken  to  the  open  sea  were  placed 
on  large  sledges,  which  were  hauled  along  by  all 
the  dogs  on  the  island,  numbering,  I  should  think, 
over  one  hundred.  The  men  remain  at  the  floe 
edge  some  two  months,  and  should  any  whales  be 
seen,  they  start  in  pursuit  from  the  edge  of  the  main 
body  of  ice." 

But  what  concerns  us  here  is  that  this  seemed 
to  be  a  point  for  marking  progress  in  spiritual  things. 
The  night  before  the  men  started  the  meeting  was 
very  full,  and  the  note  in  the  diary  tells  us  that  they 
were  most  attentive,  and  seemed  much  impressed 
as  Mr.  Peck  spoke  to  them  of  the  power  of  the  Lord 
to  keep  us  anywhere  and  everywhere,  and  exhorted 
them  to  place  their  trust  in  Him. 

Towards  the  end  of  1898  a  blow  fell  upon  the 
Mission,  but  at  the  same  time  it  was  one  of  encourage 
ment.  For  it  spoke  of  a  soul  saved  and  trusting  in 
Christ.  Mary  Ikherah  was  a  woman  who,  when  Mr. 


284  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Peck  landed  in  Cumberland  Sound,  was  sunk  in  a 
most  degraded  life.  Gradually,  however,  but  surely 
she  became  interested  in  the  Gospel  teaching,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  led  her  at  last  to  the  true  Light. 
She  was  then  always  ready  to  help  the  missionaries 
in  any  way  she  could.  But  God  saw  fit  that  she  should 
glorify  Him  by  her  death  rather  than  by  her  life. 
Consumption  set  in,  and  she  was  on  her  death-bed. 
"  Never  shall  I  forget  the  day,"  writes  Mr.  Peck, 
"  when  Mr.  Sampson  and  I  drew  near  to  her  dying 
couch.  Weak  as  she  was,  she  tried  to  raise  herself, 
and  looking  up  in  our  faces,  and  thinking  of  the 
message  of  God's  love  which  we  had  brought,  said, 
'  I  love  you,  I  love  you  ! '  Yes,  it  is  love  that  wins. 
Jesus,  the  greatest  conqueror  the  world  has  ever 
known,  has  won  all  along  the  line  by  the  power  of 
His  love.  Has  His  wonderful  love  conquered  your 
hearts  yet  ?  If  not,  why  not  ?  " 

And  what  a  picture  of  desolation  is  that  which 
the  funeral  presented  when  the  body  was  committed, 
not  to  the  grave,  but  to  the  rocks ;  for  there  was 
nothing  but  these  and  big  stones  to  be  found,  no 
soil  anywhere.  A  rough  coffin,  made  from  old  boxes 
and  boards,  had  been  put  together  by  the  loving 
hands  of  the  missionaries,  and  the  corpse  was  placed 
on  an  empty  sledge.  This  was  hauled  over  the 
snow  by  many  of  the  men  who  had  come  together 
to  the  spot  selected  for  the  last  resting-place. 
"During  the  morn  ing  a  snowstorm  had  been  threat- 


BEARING    BURDENS  285 

ening,  and  shortly  after  we  started  it  burst  out  in  full 
fury,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  blinding  drift  we  hurried 
on.  The  people  joined  me  in  saying  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  we  then  returned  battling  again  with 
the  furious  wind  and  driving  snow.  Such  a  picture 
of  gloom  and  desolation  it  is  quite  beyond  my 
powers  to  describe.  But  one  thought  that  seemed 
uppermost  in  my  mind  was  this,  Christ  the  King  who 
rules  over  death  is  as  real  and  loving  and  gracious 
here  as  anywhere  else.  It  is  not  for  the  servant 
to  question  the  Master's  will  regarding  the  particular 
post  which  is  allotted  to  him.  Enough  for  him  to 
know  that  Christ  is  near  and  all  must  be  well !  " 

All  the  people  felt  keenly  the  loss  of  this  one 
who  was  practically  the  first-fruit  of  Cumberland 
Sound.  It  was  fitting  that  as  the  first-fruit  she 
should  be  given  to  the  Lord.  Mr.  Peck  sums 
up  all  by  saying,  "  She  being  dead,  yet  speaketh." 

By  March  16,  1899,  we  read  the  encouraging  note 
of  audiences  being  very  attentive.  "  I  am  much 
cheered  by  the  improvement  in  some  of  the  people 
who  attend  our  meetings.  God,  by  His  Holy  Spirit, 
is  touching  some  hearts."  A  month  later  there  is 
more  hope.  "  The  Word  seems  to  lay  hold  of  some 
of  their  hearts.  Now  surely  the  time  is  not  far 
away  when  some  will  come  out  boldly  for  Christ." 

But  still  the  season  of  sowing  the  seed  had  to 
be  prolonged  ;  the  time  of  harvest  was  not  yet 
come.  Mr.  Peck's  second  sojourn  at  Cumberland 


286          THE   LIFE   OF  E.   J.    PECK 

Sound  was  to  terminate  by  his  starting  for  England 
on  October  9.  1899,  and  it  was  not  till  his  third 
sojourn  was  in  progress  that  many  sheaves  were 
gathered  in.  His  last  note  on  this  subject  was 
written  some  weeks  before  embarking.  "  Many 
of  the  people,"  he  writes,  "  left  the  station  to-day. 
They  nearly  all  came  to  see  us  before  they  left. 
Some  seemed  evidently  sorry  that  I  should  be 
going  home  this  year.  They  remarked  that  the 
words  they  had  heard  were  good  and  true,  and  that 
they  were  very  glad  to  have  heard  them.  Certainly 
our  work  among  women  and  children  gives  much 
encouragement." 

The  time  of  refreshing  was  certain  to  come, 
and  the  missionaries  could  wait  in  faith.  When 
it  did  come,  taking  a  retrospect  of  the  period 
now  under  review,  Mr.  Peck  could  sum  upt  hus : 
*'  When  I  went  home  in  1896  I  took  with  me  the 
four  gospels  in  Eskimo.  These  were  printed  by  the 
Bible  Society.  When  I  returned  to  Blacklead  Island 
in  the  following  year  several  of  the  people  learned 
to  read  these  precious  pages.  Following  our  usual 
plan  of  work,  services  were  held  night  after  night 
in  our  little  church,  and  each  gospel  was  expounded 
from  beginning  to  end.  Now  the  people  began  to 
realize  the  wonderful  character  of  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God.  A  picture  of  moral  power,  love  and  mercy 
stood  out  before  them.  Nothing  in  their  old  tradi 
tions  or  religious  ideas  could  equal  the  words  of 


BEARING    BURDENS  287 

truth  and  life  which  flowed  from  the  Saviour's 
heart.  On  every  hand  they  told  me  that  the  words 
they  heard  were  good  and  true."  But  thus  far  the 
picture  had  only  shown  them  the  evil  in  their  lives 
and  excited  a  desire  for  something  better.  They 
needed  some  greater  power  than  their  own  to  enable 
them  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  crucified  One. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

BEHIND  THE    SCENES 

"  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with  Me." 

WE  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  the  outward  cir 
cumstances  surrounding  the  lives  of  the 
missionaries  in  Cumberland  Sound ;  we  have  also 
seen  something  of  their  work  and  influence  upon 
the  Eskimos.  Shall  we  in  this  present  chapter  look 
a  little  more  closely  at  their  own  lives,  penetrating 
into  their  houses,  and,  more  than  that,  into  the 
thoughts  of  their  hearts  ? 

On  August  28,  1898,  the  two  workers,  Messrs. 
Peck  and  Sampson,  were  reinforced  by  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Julian  William  Bilby.  "  Great  was  our 
joy.  Truly  we  have  not  been  forgotten,  nor  has  our 
work  in  these  desert  wastes.  How  delightful  to 
clasp  the  hand  of  a  brother  in  Christ  and  to  feel 
t!  at  another  of  God's  light-bearers  has  come  to 
illuminate  the  darkness." 

There  is  a  note  struck  in  this  simple  extract  from 
a  diary  which  ought  to  awaken  a  responsive  chord 
in  every  reader.  "  Truly  we  have  not  been  for- 


BEHIND    THE    SCENES  289 

gotten."  Is  there  a  danger  of  this  ?  Perhaps  so 
on  the  part  of  too  many  people.  At  any  rate  the 
solitary  worker  is  apt  to  think  so,  as  John  the  Bap 
tist  did  when  he  was  in  prison  ;  especially  if  he  is 
in  a  veritable  icy  prison  which  is  penetrated  only 
once  a  year  by  rays  from  the  outer  world,  and  he 
may  be  excused  in  having  his  moments  of  despond 
ency  which  call  to  the  Christian  Church  for  the 
support  of  prayer. 

On  the  other  hand  we  can  look  into  the  heart 
of  the  messenger  of  the  Gospel  and  see  how,  in  his 
moments  of  confidence,  he  is  upheld  by  the  know 
ledge  of  prayerful  sympathy.  One  summer,  on  the 
departure  of  the  annual  ship,  Mr.  Peck  wrote :  "  The 
Alert  left  to-day.  I  have  written  altogether  about 
1 20  letters  and  have  also  sent  quite  a  number  of 
circular  letters.  Thank  God  for  the  number  of 
praying  friends  in  the  home  land.  Isolated  we 
truly  are  here,  but  from  a  spiritual  point  of  view 
we  are  compassed  about  with  a  host  of  helpers. 
Cut  off  we  are  indeed  from  loved  ones,  with  no  pos 
sible  opportunity  of  hearing  from  them  for  over 
eleven  months.  United,  however,  we  are  to  a 
never  dying  Friend,  whose  presence  more  than  fills 
up  the  gap  and  void  left  in  our  hearts  by  the  loss 
of  dear  ones." 

At  other  times  frequent  notes  are  found  con 
cerning  the  24th  day  of  each  month  and  the  com 
fort  which  it  brings.  "  To-day  is  the  day  of  days. 

19 


290  THE  LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

Thousands  are  praying  for  us.  ...  Many  are  mind 
ful  of  my  brethren,  myself  and  the  work."  This 
thought  comes  to  him  again  and  again  whether 
he  is  on  the  trackless  deep  or  the  voyage  to  or  from 
Cumberland  Sound,  or  in  the  loneliness  of  toil  and 
danger  endured  for  Christ  in  the  Mission.  And 
the  reason  is  that  that  is  the  day  appointed  in  the 
Church  Missionary  Society's  cycle  of  prayer  for 
petitions  to  be  offered  for  the  vast  cold  and  dark 
regions  which  extend  within  the  Arctic  circle,  and 
for  the  missionaries  among  the  Red  Indians  and 
Eskimos  that  they  may  be  supported  in  their  great 
hardships  and  loneliness.  So  on  that  day  in  each 
month  Mr.  Peck  and  his  colleagues  were  comforted 
because  they  were  sure  that  some  friends,  at  any 
rate,  were  holding  up  their  hands  for  the  fight.  It 
would  be  an  untold  blessing  to  the  Church  of  Christ 
and  the  world,  if  many  more  were  found  to  use 
that  cycle  and  make  it  a  basis  also  for  acquiring 
information  and  taking  a  systematic  interest  in  the 
evangelization  of  the  nations. 

The  Alert  which  brought  Mr.  Bilby  also  brought 
a  quantity  of  timber.  This  was  sent  through  Mr. 
Malaher  and  the  Missionary  Leaves  Association.  It 
was  most  acceptable,  as  it  helped  the  missionaries 
to  arrange  their  dwelling  satisfactorily  for  the 
coming  winter.  They  were  able  to  enlarge  the 
old  building  in  which  they  had  been  living  and 
to  make  it  fit  for  the  meetings  of  the  Eskimos,  and 


BEHIND   THE    SCENES  291 

the  new  building,  which  they  had  in  a  spirit  of  self- 
denial  given  up  for  that  purpose,  they  were  now  to 
take  possession  of  and  make  themselves  a  little 
more  comfortable  than  they  had  been. 

We  have  in  former  chapters  peeped  behind  the 
scenes  and  looked  at  the  daily  routine  of  the  mis 
sionary's  life.  It  is  consequently  now  unnecessary  to 
do  so  again,  but  it  may  be  mentioned  that  Mr.  Peck's 
time  was  to  some  extent  occupied  by  instructing 
the  newly  arrived  colleague  in  the  Eskimo  language. 

Each  of  the  three  brethren  was  more  or  less 
proficient  in  the  art  of  cooking,  and  they  took  it  in 
turn,  week  and  week  about,  to  be  responsible  for  the 
culinary  department.  Sometimes  there  was  not 
much  in  the  way  of  meat  at  any  rate  on  which  the 
chef  could  display  his  talents.  This  was  rather 
trying.  "  What  would  friends  at  home  do  I  won 
der,"  writes  Mr.  Peck,  "  if  they  had  no  butchers' 
shops  to  go  to  for  their  Christmas  dinner."  With 
this  festive  season  in  the  near  prospect  he  and  Mr. 
Sampson  had  been  searching  for  game  some  five 
miles  out,  but  alas  !  the  sight  of  only  a  few  tracks 
was  all  that  rewarded  their  effort.  However,  failure 
this  time  made  them  more  wary  another  Christmas. 
Time  was  indeed  taken  by  the  forelock.  "  What 
did  we  have  for  dinner  ?  asks  the  cunning  missionary 
in  triumph.  "  Why,  jugged  hare  and  plum  pud 
ding — quite  a  royal  repast.  The  plum  pudding 
was  a  gift  sent  out  by  a  kind  friend  in  England. 


292          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

And  the  hare  ?  Well  some  weeks  ago  we  got  it, 
and  being  in  a  frozen  condition  we  saved  it  care 
fully  for  Christmas.  Two  days  ago  I  hung  it  up 
near  the  stove  to  thaw.  Before  this  it  was  frozen 
as  hard  as  a  stone."  As  fortune  would  have  it, 
however,  they  did  not  after  all  depend  upon  this 
particular  hare,  for  on  Christmas  Eve  an  Eskimo 
had  brought  them  in  another.  This  incident  of  the 
frozen  hare  reminds  us  of  another  dish  which  was 
Mr.  Peck's  own  speciality.  We  can  fancy  him  say 
ing  :  "  Now  I  have  to  be  starting  early  to-morrow 
morning  to  look  up  those  Eskimos  on  the  ice.  So 
I  must  make  a  good  supply  of  Arctic  balls." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  Arctic  balls  ? "  we  can 
imagine  the  new  arrival  asking. 

"  Oh,  they  are  a  splendid  dish  for  a  journey. 
You  make  them  of  preserved  meat,  bread-crumbs, 
cooked  preserved  potatoes,  and  a  little  flour.  All 
these  ingredients  you  must  mix  up  into  a  mash  and 
then  divide  them  up  into  balls  of  convenient  size. 
Let  them  freeze  (n.b.,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  this) 
and  they  will  keep  indefinitely.  On  arrival  at 
snow  houses  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  put  them  into 
a  frying-pan  with  a  little  grease  or  water  to  prevent 
them  sticking,  and  in  a  few  minutes  with  the  aid  of 
your  methylated  spirit  lamp  you  thaw  them.  Then 
proceed  to  make  on  excellent  meal." 

This  recipe  might  be  recommended  to  English 
housekeepers,  but  they  have  not  always  got  a  freez 
ing  house  at  hand. 


BEHIND    THE    SCENES  293 

Sometimes  the  office  of  cook  was  anything  but 
a  sinecure.  This  was  especially  the  case  when 
missionaries  were  keeping  open  house  for  their 
Eskimo  friends,  either  at  such  a  season  as 
Christmas  when  large  gatherings  came  together 
or  during  times  of  scarcity.  Again  culling  from 
Mr.  Peck's  diary  we  read  :  "  This  being  my  week 
as  cook  and  general  housekeeper  I  spent  a  very 
busy  time,  especially  as  we  tried  to  help  these 
poor  starving  people.  Large  kettles  of  pea  soup 
were  made  three  days  in  the  week,  which  helped 
in  some  measure."  And  we  have  seen  in  the  last 
chapter  that  sometimes  in  this  way  their  relief 
work  amounted  to  feeding  twenty  families  daily. 
In  missionary  fields  it  is  more  possible  than  at 
home  to  realize  that  the  word  minister  means  ser 
vant. 

There  is  one  note  concerning  the  day's  routine 
which  should  not  be  forgotten.  It  is  that  after 
the  i  o'clock  dinner  there  was  always  a  time  allotted 
for  recreative  reading.  The  ship  brought  out  an 
nually  a  supply  of  newspapers  and  periodicals. 
These  were  carefully  arranged  in  chronological 
order,  the  oldest  being  on  the  top  and  the  newest 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pile.  This  was  the  order  in 
which  they  were  to  be  read.  So  in  November  1898 
Mr.  Peck  writes:  "We  are  reading  now  the  numbers 
for  November  1897,  and  somehow  we  seem  to  enjoy 
them  as  much  as  if  they  were  this  year's  issues  in- 


294          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

stead  of  being  a  year  old."  After  all,  the  mission 
aries  had  only  to  put  their  birthdays  back  one 
year  in  imagination  and  then  they  had  their  daily 
paper  as  regularly  as  the  frequenter  of  a  London 
club.  Surely  this  was  not  a  very  strong  flight  of 
imagination !  At  any  rate  it  would  not  have  been  if 
they  had  been  of  the  gentler  sex.  But  it  was  not 
only  newspapers  and  magazines  that  were  treated 
in  this  way.  Friends  of  the  missionaries  at  home 
kept  them  supplied  with  a  monthly  mail.  How  is 
that  possible  ?  We  listen  to  Mr.  Peck  as  he  says  : 
"  I  read  (on  November  i)  two  letters  which  are  full 
of  comfort.  Kind  friends  sent  me  several  packets. 
The  month  in  which  they  are  to  be  read  is  marked 
on  the  outside  of  the  envelopes.  I  have  therefore 
a  monthly  mail  so  to  speak,  which  will  take  me  to 
next  July.  How  full  of  prayerful  thought  these 
letters  are.  They  bring  one  very  close  to  the  love 
and  sympathy  of  God's  loved  ones  in  the  home 
land."  Again  speaking  of  these  letters  at  another 
time  he  says :  "I  look  forward  to  the  time  ap 
pointed  for  opening  letters  with  many  longings  of 
heart,  and  I  must  confess  that  at  times  I  feel  like 
the  greedy  boy  who  wishes  to  eat  the  whole  of  the 
cake  at  one  sitting." 

And  yet  once  more  it  is  impossible  to  refrain 
from  dwelling  upon  this  very  simple,  yet  very 
helpful  comfort  given  to  God's  servants.  It  is 
the  record  in  the  diary  of  a  new  year's  eve.  "  We 


BEHIND   THE   SCENES  295 

passed  from  the  old  into  the  new  year  in  a  right 
happy  manner.  Friends — and  thoughtful  ones 
they  are — sent  me  some  letters  for  the  new  year. 
I,  however,  took  the  liberty  of  opening  half  of  these 
before  12  p.m.  and  the  remainder  after.  How 
cheered,  comforted  and  strengthened  I  felt  by  the 
perusal  of  these  loving  messages  my  pen  fails  to 
tell."  Similarly  Christmas  Day  was  brightened. 
How  is  it  spent  ?  In  various  ways.  "  First  the 
dear  ones  at  home  are  carried  in  prayer  to  God, 
and  then  with  feverish  expectation  I  opened  some 
parcels  which  were  marked  :  '  not  to  be  opened  till 
Christmas  Day.'  Friends  can  have  no  concep 
tion  how  much  their  thoughtful  kindness  cheered 
and  comforted  our  souls."  At  another  time  we 
read :  "  We  tried  to  enliven  ourselves  with  the  musical 
box.  This,  the  gift  of  a  kind  friend,  has  helped  to 
cheer  us  up  not  a  little  and  is  a  source  of  great 
pleasure  to  the  Eskimos." 

But  we  must  leave  these  interesting  pictures, 
merely  exhorting  the  reader  to  do  something  to 
cheer  and  strengthen  those  who  are  endeavouring 
themselves  to  bring  gladness  into  the  solitary 
place.  We  never  hear  any  complaint  come  from 
the  lips  or  pen  of  Mr.  Peck  concerning  his  separa 
tion  from  his  family  at  home.  We  have  to  read 
between  the  lines  when  he  describes  his  eagerness 
for  the  arrival  of  the  Alert ;  when  we  see  him  medi 
tating  in  his  lonely  walks  upon  the  ice  ;  or  when 


296  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

he  tells  us  that  he  has  been  drawn  to  think  much 
of  his  little  daughter.  But  it  is  not  very  difficult 
to  interpret  one  passage  from  his  diary  and  to 
understand  something  of  what  this  separation 
meant  to  him.  On  one  of  his  journeys  in  March 
1899  he  writes  :  "  Four  hours'  travel  brought  us 
to  a  band  of  Arctic  wanderers  whose  snow  houses 
were  situated  near  a  barren  and  rugged  island. 
Some  of  the  little  children  who  had  noticed  our 
sledges  coming  in  the  distance  came  out  to  meet 
me.  These  little  ones  we  had  taught  from  time  to 
time  of  the  Saviour's  love,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
brightest  spots  in  our  life  here  to  know  that  we  are 
planting  the  seed  of  immortal  truth  in  their  hearts 
and  that  many  of  them  seem  to  be  drawn  to  the 
loving  Saviour.  Perhaps  I  have  a  tender  place  in 
my  heart  for  these  little  Eskimos,  seeing  that  the 
bright  faces  of  my  own  treasures  are  ever  standing 
out  as  a  living  picture  before  my  mind's  eye." 
There  is  something  pathetic  in  thinking  of  the 
demonstration  of  love  which  would  be  lavished 
upon  his  own  children,  and  which  the  barrier  of 
distance  diverts  to  the  heathen  children.  It 
is  a  lesson  for  us  all.  God's  intention  in 
permitting  trial  of  any  kind  to  come  upon  us  is 
not  that  we  should  dry  up  and  shrivel  and  become 
unfruitful,  but  rather  expand  in  softened  sympathy 
to  all  around. 

But   sometimes    there  is  no   need  to  read  be 
tween  the  lines  of  what  is  written.    After  leaving 


BEHIND    THE   SCENES  297 

Peterhead  on  one  of  his  return  journeys  to 
Blacklead  Island  when  he  had  been  a  day  or 
two  in  the  brave  little  Alert,  Mr.  Peck's  heart  is  full 
of  the  thoughts  of  those  who  are  left  behind ;  it 
has  been  lacerated,  as  it  were,  by  the  separation. 
But  so  far  from  any  sort  of  grumble  or  complaint, 
he  says.  "  A  need  of  heavenly  support  and  comfort 
creates  and  keeps  up  a  praying  spirit.  Thank  God 
for  this.  We  give  up  only  to  receive  ;  there  is  a  loss 
which  is  a  gain." 

And  now  even  at  the  risk  of  possibly  repeat 
ing  something  that  has  been  said  before  it  will 
not  be  out  of  place  to  give  a  description  of  the 
missionaries'  surroundings  written  by  Mr.  Peck 
himself.  "  Our  island  home  may  be  truly  called 
a  picture  of  complete  desolation.  It  consists  of 
barren  rocks  swept  by  fierce  gales.  The  snow 
is  packed  many  feet  deep  in  the  holes  and 
gullies.  Ice  along  the  shore  is  piled  up  in  some 
places  twelve  feet  high.  This  remarkable  effect 
is  caused  by  the  action  of  winds  and  tides.  No 
tree  or  plant  gladdens  the  eye  or  heart.  Eskimo 
dwellings,  like  mounds  of  snow,  are  scattered  about 
in  every  direction.  Ravenous  dogs  are  ever  on 
the  lookout  for  a  morsel.  Eskimos — some  at  least 
look  more  like  wild  beasts  than  human  beings  in  their 
filthy  and  bulky  garments.  Such  is  the  scene  upon 
which  the  eye  rests  day  after  day  and  week  after  week. 

"  How  can  we  stand  the  rigour  of  such  a  climate 


298  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

and  keep  up  a  healthy  mental  tone  in  such 
surroundings  ?  We  must  have  for  one  thing  a 
proper  dwelling.  This  we  have  been  able  through 
the  kindness  of  friends  to  obtain,  and  the  room  in 
which  I  write  this  is,  even  in  spite  of  the  intense 
cold,  comfortable.  Our  house,  which  is  divided 
into  three  compartments,  viz.,  two  dwelling  rooms 
and  a  kitchen  (or  general  reception  room),  all  on 
the  ground  floor,  is  made  as  follows  :  First  the 
frame  of  the  house  itself,  next  a  coating  of  tarred 
felt  outside  the  frame.  Boards  cover  the  felt,  and 
canvas,  well-painted,  covers  the  boards.  Outside 
the  canvas  again  is  a  wall  of  snow  four  feet  thick 
which  breaks  the  fury  of  the  wind  in  a  surprising 
manner. 

"  Coming  now  to  the  inside  of  the  frame  we 
have  a  packing  of  moss  which  we  were  able  to 
gather  in  the  summer.  Inside  the  moss  is  the 
inner  lining  of  boards  which  are  tongued  and  grooved. 
Next  comes  a  lining  of  calico  and  then  a  nice  bright 
wall  paper  is  pasted  on  this.  Thus  we  have  from 
inside  to  outside,  first,  wall  paper  ;  second,  calico  ; 
third,  boards  ;  fourth,  moss  ;  fifth,  tarred  felting ; 
sixth,  outer  boards ;  seventh,  painted  canvas ; 
eighth,  a  wall  of  snow.  The  windows  of  the  house 
are  double,  with  a  sliding  arrangement  for  ventila 
tion  on  the  outside  window.  The  inner  window  is 
fitted  with  hinges  so  that  they  can  be  opened  or  shut 
at  pleasure." 


BEHIND    THE    SCENES  299 

"  A  slow-combustion  stove,  fitted  near  the  parti 
tion  which  divides  our  dwelling-rooms,  is  used  for 
heating  both  places,  although  we  have  an  oil  stove 
to  augment  the  heat  when  necessary.  In  the 
kitchen  we  use  an '  Eagle '  range  with  a  heat  indicator 
fitted  on  the  oven.  This  we  have  found  a  great 
boon  as  we  need  not  open  the  oven  and  so  let  in  a 
body  of  cold  air.  As  every  bit  of  coal  and  coke, 
and  every  drop  of  paraffin  oil  must  come  out  from 
home,  it  is,  of  course,  a  matter  of  great  importance 
to  obtain  as  much  heat  as  possible  with  a  moderate 
consumption  of  fuel.  We  think  we  have  gained 
this  desirable  object  in  the  stoves  mentioned,  as  our 
yearly  consumption  of  coal  for  these  does  not 
exceed  seven  tons." 

"  We  make  our  surroundings  as  bright  and  cheer 
ful  as  possible.  Pictures,  artificial  flowers,  bright 
texts,  photos  of  loved  ones,  adorn  the  walls  of  our 
dwelling  rooms,  and  it  is  indeed  a  striking  and  most 
pleasant  contrast  to  the  desert  waste  outside." 
We  need  not  follow  this  description  in  the  details 
of  daily  routine  and  of  food.  For  we  already  know 
much  about  these  matters.  But  it  will  be  well  for 
us  to  think  about  Mr.  Peck's  words  of  .caution  con 
cerning  the  life  which  he  has  been  depicting.  "  Want 
of  change,  the  sense  of  isolation,  the  hungering  for 
just  a  word  of  loved  ones,  continual  contact  with  a 
people  whose  lot  is  often  one  of  extreme  privation, 
the  possibility  of  magnifying  little  differences  or 


300          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

seeming  grievances  with  a  colleague,  which  in 
other  circumstances  or  surroundings  would  soon 
be  lost  sight  of — these  are  factors,  and  sometimes 
weighty  ones  too,  which  try  what  manner  of  men  we 
are.  On  the  other  hand  we  have  a  good  school 
for  faith,  prayer,  and  patience.  There  are  times 
when  one  is  brought,  so  to  speak,  in  contact  with 
the  heavenly  powers  ;  God  becomes  a  reality,  faith 
is  strengthened,  and  hope  is  brightened." 

It  is  impossible,  however,  to  exhaust  in  one  de 
scription  the  different  kinds  of  trials  that  beset  any 
life.  For  instance,  we  might  think  that  the  home 
which  we  have  had  vividly  brought  into  our  view 
would  be  proof  against  the  variations  of  weather 
and  thermometer  that  even  Cumberland  Sound 
could  produce.  But  it  is  not  so.  Even  in  January 
we  read  of  a  most  wonderful  and  by  no  means 
agreeable  change  of  weather  which  took  place: 
"  A  warm  wave  of  air  has  been  wafted  along  here 
by  the  heavy  southerly  gale,  and  the  consequence 
is  that  we  are  in  a  most  uncomfortable  state.  A 
kind  of  rime  forms  on  the  inside  of  our  roof,  chiefly 
on  account  of  the  steam  issuing  from  the  kettles, 
etc.  This  is  thawing  and  dropping  down  in  every 
direction.  The  snow  porches  which  we  have  had 
built  outside  our  doors  are  falling  down  and  alto 
gether  we  are  in  a  lively  condition." 

Probably  we  have  seen  sufficient  now  of  the 
inner  thoughts  and  outward  life  of  the  missionaries 


BEHIND  THE   SCENES  301 

at  Blacklead  Island  to  sympathize  with  them  to 
some  extent  and  to  feel  thankful  that  our  lot  is  cast 
in  a  pleasanter  land.  But  let  us  see  that  our  sym 
pathy  is  of  a  practical  kind.  If  it  is  not,  we  shall 
forget.  If  it  is  practical  and  influences  our  lives 
by  causing  us  to  pray,  to  work  and  give  gifts,  it 
will  go  on  deepening  and  widening  until  it  takes 
in  not  merely  the  missionaries,  but  their  Eskimos ; 
not  the  Eskimos  only,  but  barbarian  and  Scythian, 
bond  and  free.  We  shall  recognize  more  and  more 
that  Mr.  Peck's  work  is  our  work,  that  he  is  our 
representative,  that  we  are  responsible. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

SUNSHINE  AND   RAIN 

"  Behold  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open 
door,  and  no  man  can  shut  it." 

AFTER  having  looked  at  the  inner  thoughts 
and  life  of  the  missionary,  we  now  proceed 
to  take  up  the  history  of  the  Mission  in  the  latest 
sojourn  of  Mr.  Peck  of  which  it  is  possible  to  have 
any  record.  This  period  extends  from  August, 
1900,  to  September,  1902. 

We  have,  it  must  be  admitted,  already  dipped 
into  diaries  of  this  period  in  order  to  present  the 
reader  with  a  complete  picture  such  as  was  given 
in  the  last  chapter.  But  that  will  not  affect  the 
narrative  which  will  be  unfolded  in  this. 

On  August  20,  1900,  the  Alert  came  to  anchor 
off  Blacklead  Island.  Mr.  Peck's  note  concerning 
this  is  :  "  Mr.  Bilby  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome. 
His  news  is  good.  The  work  has  prospered.  Praise 
God  for  this.  Eskimo  friends  clambered  over  the 
side  ;  they  seemed  so  pleased  to  see  me.  There  is 


SUNSHINE    AND    RAIN  303 

joy  and  comfort  in  knowing  that  our  life  and  work 
are  not  lost.  To  have  a  place  in  people's  affection 
is  no  small  gain.  I  had  a  nice  meal  with  Mr.  Bilby 
in  our  own  house.  What  a  treat  too  after  six 
weeks  life  on  board.  We  carried  the  Mission  (in 
prayer)  to  God,  and  our  brother  Sampson,  now  away 
at  Signia,  was  not  forgotten." 

Soon  after  this  Mr.  Sampson  went  home  to 
England  when  the  Alert  sailed  on  her  return  voyage. 

And  what,  we  ask,  were  the  signs  of  progress 
that  Mr.  Bilby  had  been  able  to  report  and  with 
which  he  had  encouraged  Mr.  Peck  on  meeting 
him  ?  First  of  all  the  congregations  were  large 
and  attentive,  but  at  the  same  time  there  was  some 
disappointment  about  the  small  proportion  of  men 
who  attended  the  meetings.  But  this  was  not 
without  its  encouraging  side,  for  it  was  to  a  great 
extent  to  be  attributed  to  the  influence  of  the 
conjurors.  As  we  have  seen  before,  there  is  always 
satisfaction  in  the  opposition  of  the  enemy. 

Now,  however,  there  was  a  difference.  It  was 
not  as  in  former  years,  when  the  men  were  led 
by  the  conjurors  and  unhappily  reverted  to  their 
heathen  ways.  They  did  not  yield  to  practising 
their  superstitious  arts  and  immoralities.  But 
the  conjurors  seemed  to  retain  enough  influence 
to  prevent  the  men  coming  to  Christian  gatherings. 

Whatever  encouragement  there  may  be  in  this, 
it  is  probably  in  another  direction  that  Mr.  Peck 


304  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

found  especial  cause  for  thankfulness.  The  future 
of  a  people  depends  on  the  uprising  generation. 
And  the  work  among  the  children  seemed  to  show 
solid  progress.  The  average  attendance  at  school 
we  find,  soon  after  Mr.  Peck's  arrival,  was  from 
sixty-five  to  seventy  children  daily.  This  strikes 
us  as  being  a  very  high  number,  especially  as  we  are 
also  told  that  about  the  same  time  the  mission 
aries  took  the  census  of  the  people  and  found  there 
were  just  forty  dwellings  inhabited  by  Eskimos 
in  and  around  the  island,  and  in  these  194  people 
lived.  So  the  numbers  attending  school  amounted 
to  one- third  of  the  entire  population. 

And  the  knowledge  that  was  acquired  was  con 
siderable.  On  December  19  Mr.  Peck  writes : 
**  I  commenced  the  examination  of  our  elder  scholars^ 
The  subject  was  the  Ten  Commandments  with  a 
brief  summary  of  each  commandment.  The 
scholars  were  not  asked  to  say  them  (straight  off) 
by  rote,  but  each  was  expected  to  be  able  to  repeat 
the  commandment  corresponding  to  the  number 
2,  5, 9,  etc.  This  was  no  small  tax  on  the  memory, 
but  I  am  happy  to  say  that  out  of  a  class  of  eighteen, 
eleven  passed  through  the  ordeal  without  making 
a  single  mistake." 

"  The  next  day  the  examination  was  continued. 
The  second  class  was  then  taken.  Many  of  these 
repeated  from  memory  twenty-two  Scripture  texts 
without  making  any  mistake," 


SUNSHINE    AND    RAIN  305 

With  regard  to  secular  teaching  in  the  school 
there  is  an  interesting  note :  "  We  have  also  in 
structed  the  children  in  some  of  our  English  figures. 
Their  own  method  of  counting  really  extends  only 
to  the  fingers  and  toes.  Some  of  them  now  know 
our  figures  up  to  150.  Altogether  we  have  had 
much  encouragement  in  our  work  amongst  the 
children,  and  we  heartily  thank  God  for  His  blessing 
and  support." 

But  there  were  better  things  than  these  soon  to 
come.  All  that  has  been  mentioned  might  be 
nothing  more  than,  as  it  were,  the  first  portion  of 
EzekiePs  vision  :  "  The  sinews  and  the  flesh  came 
up  upon  them  and  the  skin  covered  them  above ; 
but  there  was  no  breath  in  them."  The  outward 
life  of  the  Eskimos  was  something  to  be  thankful 
for  in  the  abandonment  of  superstition,  in  im 
proved  knowledge,  in  cleanliness  and  other  ways. 
But  where  was  the  spirit  of  Life  ? 

In  December,  1900,  a  marked  change  seemed 
to  have  begun.  "  Some  of  the  men  carne  to  both 
morning  and  evening  services.  The  evening  service 
was  very  hearty  and  the  people  listened  with 
evident  attention.  We  certainly  do  realize  some 
remarkable  times,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  in  answer 
to  prayer  is  moving  some  hearts.  Oh,  that  one 
might  believe  more  in  the  power  of  God  the  Holy 
Ghost !  " 

A  little  later  on,  January  8,  1901,  a  "  cheering 

20 


306         THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

and  soul-refreshing  incident  happened.  One  of 
the  women  came  of  her  own  accord  to  see  me. 
She  stated  that  her  heart  has  been  moved  by  the 
Word  of  God.  I  have  noticed  her  for  a  long  time, 
and  believe  that  God  by  His  Spirit  is  leading  her 
on  in  the  way  of  life." 

But  this  woman  was  only  the  forerunner,  so  to 
speak,  of  others.  She  was  the  one  bolder  spirit 
who  was  enabled  under  God  to  give  courage  to 
others.  The  breach  had  been  effected  in  the  walls 
of  Satan's  stronghold,  and  then  others  were  willing 
to  enter  through  the  way  that  had  been  made 
possible. 

January  13  was  a  day  of  much  blessing.  Mr. 
Peck  says,  "  I  was  led  to  speak  at  our  evening 
meeting  regarding  the  subject  of  baptism.  I 
pointed  out  to  the  people  the  necessity  of  confessing 
their  faith  in  Christ,  and  invited  those  who  wished 
to  be  baptized  to  come  to  me  to-morrow." 

Two  wonderful  days  followed.  "  No  less  than 
two  men  and  twenty-four  women  came  to  me  wishing 
to  be  enrolled  as  candidates  for  baptism.  I  had 
private  conversation  and  prayer  with  each  one, 
and  I  was  indeed  thankful  to  notice  in  not  a  few 
cases  a  real  desire  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  Christ's 
people.  I  told  them  that  it  would  be  necessary 
for  them  to  be  fully  instructed  in  some  points, 
especially  the  absolute  need  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  teach  them  and  sanctify  their  lives.  I  propose 


SUNSHINE   AND    RAIN  307 

holding  classes  for  them  in  addition  to  our  ordinary 
evening  meetings.  My  heart  rejoices,  and  I  feel 
sure  the  hearts  of  many  of  God's  praying  ones  will 
rejoice  to  hear  such  news  from  our  Arctic  home." 

This  large  number  of  candidates  for  baptism 
now  rendered  necessary  some  change  in  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  meetings  for  instruction.  Mr.  Peck 
rightly  felt  that  these  required  something  rather 
special  in  the  way  of  teaching.  So  on  January  18 
a  separation  took  place.  Mr.  Bilby  took  the 
ordinary  congregation  in  the  church  and  Mr.  Peck 
simultaneously  held  the  class  for  the  catechumens  in 
the  Mission  House  or  "  the  Manse  "  as  he  facetiously 
calls  it  elsewhere. 

"  I  took,"  he  says  "  the  opening  passage  of  our 
baptismal  service  for  adults  and  explained  it.  I 
pointed  out  the  force  of  our  Lord's  words,  '  Except 
a  man  be  born  again,'  etc.,  and  told  them  how 
needful  it  is  for  each  one  of  them  to  call  upon  God 
earnestly  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  A  little 
prayer  is  being  written  out  for  them.  It  reads  as 
follows  :  *  O  God,  give  me  Thy  Holy  Spirit,  that  I 
may  truly  repent  of  my  sins,  believe  in  Jesus  Christ, 
and  be  made  a  new  creature  for  Jesus'  sake,  Amen.'  " 

And  there  was  some  satisfaction  in  teaching 
people  like  these,  for  a  few  days  later,  when  Mr. 
Peck  was  explaining  a  portion  of  the  third  chapter 
of  St.  John's  Gospel,  he  invited  inquiry,  and  at  the 
same  time  asked  them  if  they  quite  understood 


308          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

our  Lord's  words.  "  Yes,"  was  their  ready  reply, 
"  and  if  we  do  not,  we  will  ask  you." 

When  at  last  the  first  ripe  fruit  was  gathered  in 
Baptism,  it  was  to  be  in  a  very  real  sense  waved 
before  the  altar  and  presented  to  God. 

On  April  8  Mr.  Peck  visited  a  sick  girl  named 
Atterngonyak.  She  seemed  to  be  wasting  away. 
She  had  learned  a  great  deal  about  the  Gospel  and 
the  love  of  God,  and  she  listened  with  much  atten 
tion  to  the  words  of  the  missionary  as  he  exhorted 
her  to  trust  wholly  in  the  Saviour.  A  few  days 
later,  on  May  4,  the  sick  girl  expressed  a  wish  to 
be  baptized.  "  I  see,"  says  Mr.  Peck  in  his  notes 
concerning  this,  "  no  reason  why  the  rite  should  be 
withheld  from  her.  We  claim  this  poor  creature 
for  Christ.  I  have  been  and  am  much  helped  in 
prayer  concerning  her." 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  the  patient  had 
a  violent  attack  of  illness.  For  her  to  go  out  of 
her  house  was  out  of  the  question,  and  so  she  was 
baptized  privately.  This,  however,  did  not  satisfy 
her  fully.  She  wished  to  show  publicly  her  love 
for,  and  faith  in,  her  new  found  Saviour,  and  she 
asked  Mr.  Peck  of  her  own  accord,  if  she  gained 
any  strength,  that  she  might  be  received  openly 
before  all  the  people  into  the  Church  of  Christ. 

The  diary  goes  on  to  say,  "  I  spoke  to  some  of 
the  candidates  for  baptism  regarding  her,  and  I 
was  so  delighted  to  find  that  one  woman  went  to 


SUNSHINE    AND    RAIN  309 

see  her  and  prayed  with  her.  And  so  the  Word 
of  God  is  doing  its  mighty  work.  It  does  not,  it 
shall  not,  return  void.  In  due  time  ye  shall  reap 
if  ye  faint  not." 

On  May  7,  when  the  weather  was  a  little  brighter 
and  the  patient  somewhat  stronger,  she  desired  to 
be  publicly  admitted.  She  was  too  weak  to  go  to 
church,  so  behind  a  wall  of  snow  at  the  entrance  of 
her  dwelling  the  Eskimos  were  gathered  together. 
With  praise  and  prayer  she  was  received  into  the 
flock  of  Christ's  Church,  and  marked  with  the 
seal  of  service  to  the  Saviour.  "Just  six  years 
since  it  was  decided  to  start  this  Mission — six  years 
of  toil  and  prayer  and  suffering — and  now  the  Lord 
has,  I  trust,  gathered  in  the  first-fruits  of  a  mighty 
harvest  of  souls  from  the  northern  wilds.  *  Praise 
the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me 
praise  His  Holy  Name.' " 

This  girl  was  a  corn  of  wheat  falling  into  the 
ground  and  perishing  in  order,  as  we  doubt  not,  to 
bring  forth  much  fruit.  On  June  2  she  was  wasting 
away  rapidly.  Mr.  Peck  was  visiting  her  two  or 
three  times  every  day.  "  She  likes  to  hear  hymns 
sung,  and  always  longs  to  have  one  of  us  near." 

At  last,  on  June  13,  she  fell  asleep.  "  I  was  with 
her"  is  the  note  in  the  diary,  "when  she  passed 
away.  She  was  quite  conscious,  but  a  calm  and 
peaceful  look  spread  over  her  face  as  the  Spirit 
returned  to  Him  who  gave  it." 


310          THE   LIFE   OF   E.  *J.    PECK 

And  what  a  contrast  that  service  which  followed 
was  to  all  that  the  Eskimos  had  known  before ! 
"  We  desired  in  every  way  to  show  the  people 
how  a  Christian  ought  to  be  buried.  I  told  all  that 
could  come  to  attend  a  service  in  church.  Many 
brought  their  books.  These  contain  a  translation 
of  our  Burial  Service.  The  first  part  was  read  in 
our  little  church.  After  this  we  all  went  to  the 
place  of  burial  selected  by  the  relatives.  I  do 
not  mean  that  a  grave  was  dug.  This  we  cannot 
do.  There  is  no  soil  here  deep  enough,  and  what 
little  there  is,  is  as  yet  thawed  only  a  few  inches 
below  the  surface.  Our  burial  places  must  there 
fore  be  on  the  rocks.  Big  stones  were  placed  on 
top  of  the  coffin  (which  had  been  made  by  Mr. 
Bilby)  to  prevent  its  being  blown  over  at  any  time 
by  the  wind.  Around  this  we  gathered  together.  I 
then  concluded  the  service  and  spoke  a  few  solemn 
words  to  those  assembled,  and  then  we  parted. 
What  a  change,  thank  God !  What  a  contrast 
to  the  awful  way  in  which  some  of  the  dead  have 
been  buried — no  covering  but  the  snow  and  the 
carcase  torn  in  pieces  by  the  dogs  as  soon  as  they 
could  reach  it." 

But  before  this  girl  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  first 
native  Christian  grave  of  Cumberland  Sound,  more 
ripe  fruit  had  been  gathered.  On  May  19  Mr. 
Peck  says :  "  The  people  do  show  much  more 
attention  now.  God  is  gradually  but  surely  work- 


SUNSHINE   AND    RAIN  31* 

ing  upon  this  people,"  and  the  next  day  after 
much  prayer  for  guidance  he  resolved  on  baptizing 
three  of  the  candidates  on  Whit  Sunday.  When 
it  came  (May  26)  it  was  a  day  of  days.  The  three 
candidates  mentioned  were  baptized.  We  had  a 
large  and  most  attentive  congregation.  It  was 
indeed  a  solemn  and  soul-stirring  time,  and  the 
power  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost  was  with  us."  There 
was  not  any  doubt  as  to  the  earnestness  of  these 
three.  For  a  long  time  they  had  shown  a  great 
desire  for  instruction,  and  they  had  a  good  report 
amongst  the  Eskimos  themselves. 

And  so  the  year  progressed  through  the  summer, 
on  the  whole  in  a  satisfactory  manner.  But  a 
severe  trial  came  in  the  beginning  of  September. 
On  the  second  of  the  month  there  was  no  little 
excitement  because  a  ship  had  been  seen  in  the 
distance.  Later  in  the  day  it  was  evident  that  she 
was  not  the  Alert  because  she  carried  steam  power. 
She  was  a  whaler  from  Dundee,  and  brought  the 
news  of  the  death  of  Queen  Victoria.  But  the  trial 
came  to  the  missionary  from  the  immoral  conduct 
of  the  crew  and  from  the  fact  that  this  snare  of  the 
devil  proved  too  subtle  and  strong  for  some  of  the 
candidates  for  baptism.  "  I  have  more  than 
once,"  writes  Mr.  Peck,  "  at  a  terrible  cost  to  my 
own  ease  of  mind,  pointed  out  to  these  wretched 
people  the  sure  and  certain  goal  to  which  they  are 
travelling.  The  extermination  of  the  whole  of  the 


312          THE   LIFE   OF  E.   J.    PECK 

Eskimo  population  in  Cumberland  Sound  and  else 
where  is  only  a  matter  of  time,  if  some  check  is 
not  put  to  these  awful  practices.  I  see  no  reason 
why  officers  of  whaling  ships  should  not  exercise 
proper  discipline  on  board  their  own  vessels.  I 
spoke  to  the  captain  about  this  matter." 

The  next  day  he  writes,  concerning  the  candi 
dates  for  baptism  who  had  yielded  to  sin,  "  I 
spoke  to  these  individually  and  warned  them  of 
their  danger  and  told  them  that  Christ  had  died 
for  them  and  that  newness  of  life  was  the  real 
sign  of  true  belief,  and  that  I  could  not  think  of 
baptizing  them  if  they  placed  themselves  in  such  a 
position." 

There  were  six  in  this  case  and  of  them  "  five 
promised  amendment  and  seemed  sorry.  May  they 
be  led  to  true  repentance.  The  sorrows  and  anguish 
of  soul  which  one  experiences  here  at  times  are 
something  almost  unbearable.  My  heart  would 
sink  within  me  if  I  did  not  know  the  loving  kindness, 
power  and  sympathy  of  my  Saviour  and  my  God." 

The  Alert  was  at  last  sighted  on  September  18, 
and  new  strength  to  the  Mission  was  brought  in  the 
person  of  Mr.  (now  Rev.)  E.  W.  Greenshield.  This 
enabled  Mr.  Bilby  to  return  to  England  in  the 
steam  whaler  mentioned  above. 

The  news,  however,  which  was  brought  by  the 
sailing  vessel  was  not  very  encouraging.  Mr. 
Sampson  had  left  the  work  and  gone  on  a  trading 


SUNSHINE   AND   RAIN  313 

expedition  ;  the  health  of  "Mr.  Peck's  little  daughter 
was  in  a  critical  condition.  On  reading  this  the 
diary  records :  "  My  feelings  cannot  be  fathomed 
by  others."  Then  there  was  a  letter  from  the 
Committee  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
asking  the  missionary  to  consider  the  advisability 
— principally  on  account  of  the  uncertainty  of 
means  of  communication — of  abandoning  this 
Mission  next  year. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  in  spite  of  fniit  having 
been  gathered  in,  the  agony  of  separation  from 
his  loved  ones,  and  the  disappointment  concerning 
the  fall  of  some  of  the  candidates  for  baptism,  Mr. 
Peck  might  readily  have  persuaded  himself  that  this 
was  the  voice  of  God.  This  thought  too  might 
have  gained  additional  force  from  the  consideration 
of  his  own  health.  His  throat  was  a  constant 
source  of  trouble  and  pain  to  him,  from  time  to 
time  even  laying  him  aside  altogether.  He  was 
not,  however,  one  to  allow  the  wish  to  be  father  to 
the  thought.  We  discover  this  when  we  are  allowed 
to  read  his  meditation  on  this  proposal  of  the 
Committee.  "  God  does  close  as  well  as  open 
doors.  But  after  due  consideration  and  prayer 
what  conviction  comes  home  to  our  soul  ?  We 
ought  not  to  abandon  this  work.  Means  of  com 
munication  better  than  the  present  can  be  formed. 
If  we  give  up  our  position  here,  we  practically 
give  up  the  key  of  Christ's  outpost.  The  utter- 


314          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

most  parts  of  the  earth  are  his,  and  the  Eskimos 
who  live  therein.  The  salvation  of  these  people 
is  dear  to  Him,  and  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt  that  He  wills  us  to  hold  on  here  and  spread 
the  knowledge  of  His  saving  name  in  these  Arctic 
wastes.  So  great  is  this  conviction  that  God 
has  put  into  my  heart  the  desire  to  formulate  a 
scheme,  the  outlines  of  which  have  long  been  in 
my  mind.  This  scheme  touches  the  difficult  prob 
lem  of  Eskimo  evangelization  in  the  Polar  regions. 
This  work  we  have  hardly  commenced  yet.  Now 
the  Lord  in  these  latter  days  wills  us,  no  doubt, 
to  push  it  on." 

And  what,  the  reader  asks,  was  the  scheme 
that  Mr.  Peck  had  formulated  ?  It  was  to  have 
a  mission  vessel  with  which  to  reach  the  distant 
Eskimos  and  to  be  independent  of  whaling  ships 
altogether.  With  God's  help  an  out-and-out  Chris 
tian  crew  would  be  got  together  for  this  mission 
vessel,  so  that  each  member  should  be  a  living 
witness  for  Christ  wherever  he  touched  port  and 
came  into  contact  with  native  races. 

The  gift  and  maintenance  of  such  a  ship  as  this 
is  not  much  for  which  to  ask  the  Church  of  England. 
Arctic  exploration  seems  always  to  claim  Christian 
sympathy  and  support  as  well  as  that  of  the  general 
public.  The  very  heart  of  the  nation  becomes 
stirred  with  the  exploits  of  Franklin,  or  McClintock, 
or  Nansen.  But  these  things,  noble  as  they 


SUNSHINE  AND    RAIN  315 

are  in  opening  up  unexplored  lands,  adding  to  our 
scientific  knowledge,  or  testing  human  nature  in 
its  pluck  and  endurance,  leave  out  of  sight  the 
greatest  of  all  human  projects,  the  evangelization 
of  the  heathen. 

The  possession  of  a  properly  constructed  vessel 
is  still  the  object  nearest  to  Mr.  Peck's  heart,  but 
failing  this  he  looks  forward  to  missionaries  living 
on  board  the  whaling  vessels  and  thus  ensuring 
the  Gospel  going  as  far  as  our  trade. 

But  surely  if  England,  the  richest  country 
perhaps  in  the  world,  can  find  men  willing  to  take 
up  the  life,  she  will  not  withhold  the  paltry  few 
hundreds  of  pounds,  or  even  thousands,  to  enable 
them  to  prosecute  their  plans  with  the  greatest 
possible  efficiency  ? 

But  we  must  return  to  the  immediate  work  which 
we  are  contemplating. 

The  month  of  February  saw  more  baptisms. 
Extracts  from  Mr.  Peck's  diary  speak  for  them 
selves  : 

"  Sunday,  Feb.  2. — A  great  day.  Nongoarluk, 
a  poor  woman  who  has  long  been  a  great  sufferer, 
desired  to  be  baptized.  She  has  learnt  to  read, 
and  is,  I  hope,  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  take 
this  important  step.  She  was,  therefore,  in  the 
presence  of  some  of  her  friends,  admitted  into  the 
visible  Church  by  baptism.  Nothing,  truly,  in 
her  surroundings  to  call  forth  joy  or  gladness ; 


3i6          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

her  small  snow-house,  her  wasted  frame,  her  years 
of  suffering,  all  these  things,  she  might  well  say, 
are  against  her  ;  yet  the  tears — tears,  I  hope,  of 
contrition  and  holy  joy — flowed  from  her  eyes  when 
we  sang  some  hymns,  hymns  composed  by  the 
good  Moravian  Brethren,  which  pointed  out  the 
boundless  love  of  God  and  the  fullness  of  Christ's 
salvation." 

"  Wednesday,  Feb.  5. — Questioned  another  candi 
date  for  baptism  concerning  her  spiritual  state.  There 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that  God  is  teaching  her, 
and  leading  her  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

"  Saturday,  Feb.  8. — Have  decided  after  very 
careful  preparation  to  baptize  some  more  converts 
to-morrow.  Had  them  with  me  in  the  evening, 
prayed  with  them,  exhorted  them  to  cleave  to 
Christ  with  full  purpose  of  heart,  and  then  pointed 
out  the  particular  order  of  service,  etc." 

"  Sunday  *Feb.  9. — Another  wonderful  day.  Seven 
(two  men  and  five  women)  were  added  to  Christ's 
flock  here  in  the  wilderness.  Many  came  to  the 
church,  great  attention  was  shown,  and  a  spiritual 
power  seemed  to  rest  upon  us.  Those  baptized 
showed  a  very  earnest  spirit,  and  evidently  realized 
the  important  step  they  were  taking.  It  was 
certainly  no  light  ordeal  to  stand  up  before  their 
own  people  and  acknowledge  their  faith  in  Jesus. 
We  thank  Him  for  this  blessing.  Let  Him  be 
praised  for  evermore." 


SUNSHINE    AND    RAIN  317 

"  Monday,  Feb.  10. — '  They  shall  come  from  the 
North.'  Another  Arctic  wanderer  baptized  to-day. 
His  wife,  Eve  Nooeyout,  who  was  one  of  the  first 
Eskimos  baptized  last  year,  has,  I  believe,  used 
her  influence  for  Christ  and  has  thus  led  her  husband 
to  make  a  public  confession  of  his  faith.  I  have 
been  led  to  pray  much  of  late  for  the  still  unevan- 
gelized  Eskimos.  There  can  be  no  possible  doubt 
that  the  souls  found  in  these  Arctic  wastes  belong 
to  our  Master.  *  All  souls  are  Mine.'  Facts  like 
these  ought  to  speak  to  Christ's  people  with  no 
uncertain  sound,  and  I  boldly  ask  them  in  Christ's 
name  to  do  their  duty,  to  stand,  so  to  speak,  shoul 
der  to  shoulder  with  us,  to  take  up  Christ's  Arctic 
enterprise  with  whole-hearted  zeal,  and  never  rest 
till  all  these  lonely  wastes  are  won  for  their  Lord." 

"  Saturday,  Feb.  22. — A  young  man  named  Rounak 
came  to  me  for  a  copy  of  the  gospels.  I  gave  him 
one,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the  nature  of  the 
treasure  he  now  possessed.  As  friends  may  like  to 
hear  his  history,  I  give  it  here  in  full.  Some  time 
ago  Rounak  was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  con 
juror.  He  tried  to  learn  the  conjurations,  etc., 
but  was  almost  driven  mad  in  the  attempt,  and  for 
some  time  was  in  such  a  state  that  he  did  nothing 
as  regards  seal  catching.  Now  as  seal-skins  are  one 
of  the  articles  of  barter  here,  and  as  Rounak  was 
in  a  measure  supported  by  Mr.  Noble's  agent,  he 
naturally  got  into  troubled  waters  with  this  gentle- 


318          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.  PECK 

man  ;  so  finding  matters  so  tangled  and  unpleasant 
he  gave  up  the  idea  of  being  a  conjuror  altogether. 
His  next  move,  which  has  certainly  proved  the 
most  satisfactory — as  it  has  for  untold  numbers 
before  him — was  to  enter  the  matrimonial  arena 
and  win  the  heart  of  a  young  Eskimo  lady.  This 
young  person  I  am  glad  to  say  is  a  Christian,  and 
she  has  had  a  marked  influence  over  him  for  good. 
In  this  connection  she  told  me  lately  (using  an 
Eskimo  expression)  that  '  his  mind  is  being  put 
in  order?  and  that  he  wishes  to  follow  her  and  be 
lieve  in  Jesus.  This  is  good  news.  Here  we  see 
the  drawing  influence  of  Divine  and  human  love." 
A  fortnight  later  this  young  man  was  baptized. 
But  perhaps  there  was  almost  more  encourage 
ment  than  these  baptisms  indicate  in  a  more  general 
movement  among  the  Eskimos. 

In  March  Mr.  Peck,  with  his  colleague  Mr. 
Greenshield,  made  an  expedition  to  Kikkerton. 
This  was  very  largely  in  consequence  of  what 
they  had  heard  about  complications  that  had 
arisen  through  some  vigorous  heathen  teaching. 
A  man  named  Angmalik  professed  to  have  received 
a  new  revelation  from  the  goddess  Sedna.  As  he 
seemed  to  be  causing  a  considerable  commotion, 
and  to  be  gaining  some  influence,  it  was  necessary 
to  deal  with  it. 

The   conclusion   of  the   matter   came   a  month 
later.    The  new  revelation  had  been  made  known 


SUNSHINE   AND    RAIN  3*9 

far  and  wide.  On  Sunday,  April  17,  Mr.  Peck 
writes :  "A  wonderful  day.  The  church  was 
packed  morning  and  evening.  Hardly  any  of  the 
men  had  gone  away  hunting,  and  the  attention 
and  reverent  behaviour  of  the  people  was  quite 
remarkable.  I  naturally  inquired  what  these  things 
meant.  This  is  the  answer  which  I  received — an 
answer  which  gave  me  much  joy,  and  will  give 
joy  to  many  hearts.  They  told  me  that  having 
considered  the  new  doctrine  propounded  by  Ang- 
malik,  and  having  also  considered  the  words  they 
had  heard  and  read,  viz.,  the  words  of  Jesus,  they 
had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  His  words  were  in 
every  way  preferable,  and  therefore  they  had 
determined  to  cast  away  their  heathen  customs 
and  come  to  the  place  of  prayer.  .  .  .  We  pray  that 
this  movement  may  lead  to  the  salvation  of  many 
souls,  and  that  we  may  have  grace  and  wisdom 
given  to  us  so  that  we  may  be  able  to  lay  before 
this  people  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  which 
alone  can  meet  the  needs  of  their  souls." 

There  is  just  one  note  of  interest  which  belongs 
to  February — a  sequel  to  the  baptisms — with  which 
this  chapter  must  conclude: 

"  Sunday,  Feb.  23. — Another  day  to  be  long 
remembered.  Six  of  those  recently  baptized  were 
joined  together  in  Holy  Matrimony.  Quite  a  num 
ber,  chiefly  women,  came  to  our  little  church,  and 
great  was  their  surprise  to  see  how  Christians  are 


320          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

married,  and  to  hear  the  holy  and  searching  words 
of  our  Marriage  Service.  This  object  lesson  will 
not,  I  feel  sure,  be  lost  upon  the  heathen.  How 
different  to  their  loose  and  sensual  ideas." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS 

"  I  know  thy  works  and  tribulation  and 
poverty  (but  thou  art  rich)." 

WE  have  now  seen  the  progress  of  the  Mission 
and  something  of  its  prospects  up  to  the 
summer  of  1902.  We  now  propose  to  take  a  few 
extracts  from  Mr.  Peck's  diaries  which  will  serve 
to  bring  some  scenes  in  his  journeys  as  pictures 
before  the  reader's  eyes. 

In  March,  1901,  he  started  on  a  journey  to 
Kikkerton  ;  Mr.  Esslemont  (Mr.  Noble's  agent) 
was  his  companion.  "  On  the  i8th  we  passed  on 
over  the  barren  plains  of  ice.  We  drove  in  a 
northerly  direction,  and  then  proceeded  to  cross 
Cumberland  Sound.  This,  however,  proved  most 
difficult.  The  ice  in  some  places  was  piled  up  in 
great  rugged  masses,  and  our  Eskimo  guide  had  to 
climb  large  hummocks  of  ice  so  that  he  might  see 
the  best  road  to  take.  To  make  matters  worse 
Mr.  Esslemont's  '  sledge-runner  broke.  This  we 

lashed  up  with  seal  line  and  pressed  on  our  way. 

32i  2I 


322          THE   LIFE   OF  E.    J.    PECK 

Towards  evening  we  saw  a  vast  extent  of  rough  ice, 
so  we  determined  to  camp  for  the  night,  and  wait  for 
the  morning  light.  Our  Eskimo  guide  soon  cut 
out  a  number  of  snow  blocks,  and  with  these  we 
made  a  snow  house,  but  by  the  time  we  had  boiled 
our  kettle  and  were  able  to  partake  of  our  meal  it 
was  10  p.m.  Then,  after  committing  ourselves  to 
God's  care,  we  crept  into  our  fur  bags  and  slept 
through  the  night." 

"  Tuesday,  March  19. — We  drove  on  for  some 
distance  and  then  came  to  a  complete  standstill. 
Masses  of  ice  of  various  sizes  and  shapes  blocked 
our  way.  Furious  gales  had  smashed  and  welded 
together  these  ice  blocks  in  a  surprising  manner. 
There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  make  a  road. 
Armed  with  an  ice  chisel  our  Eskimo  broke  up  or 
loosened  the  blocks  which  Mr  Esslemont  threw  on 
one  side.  I  remained  behind  in  order  to  keep  the 
dogs  in  order,  and  watch  their  movements — a  very 
necessary  task  indeed,  as  our  canine  friends  are 
apt  to  eat  their  seal  line  traces  when  left  to  their 
own  sweet  devices.  One  of  our  dogs  actually 
managed  to  eat  the  greater  part  of  one  of  our  whips, 
and  it  is  hard  to  say  what  they  would  leave  intact, 
if  not  continually  watched.  After  about  an  hour's 
work  we  were  able  to  move  on  cautiously,  and  after 
a  time  we  came  to  an  expanse  of  fairly  good  ice. 
But  another  barrier  came  before  long.  While 
struggling  through  this,  sad  to  say,  Mr.  Esslemont's 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        323 

sledge  became  a  complete  wreck.  We  were  still 
some  distance  from  the  opposite  shore,  so  we  packed 
the  necessary  articles  on  our  sledge,  left  the  broken 
sledge  and  the  heavier  articles  behind,  and  pressed 
on  our  way." 

Arrived  at  Kikkerton,  Captain  Sheridan  kindly 
lent  Mr.  Peck  a  house  in  which  he  could  hold  services. 
On  Sunday,  March  24,  he  writes  concerning  the 
morning  service  :  "  Our  experiences  were,  I  think, 
somewhat  interesting.  The  house  in  which  we  were 
assembled,  not  having  been  used  for  some  time, 
was  coated  in  all  parts  with  a  crust  of  ice.  This, 
with  the  combined  heat  of  the  stove  and  our  bodies, 
formed  about  the  middle  of  our  service  a  kind  of 
shower  bath  which  sprinkled  freely  our  heads, 
books  and  garments." 

"  April  4. — When  calling  the  people  together  for 
meetings,  one  old  woman  crept  out  of  her  snowhouse 
and  followed  me  saying,  '  Will  you  give  me  some 
tobacco  if  I  go  to  the  meeting  ? '  The  answer  was, 
of  course,  a  refusal.  I,  however,  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  her  come  along,  and  I  think  she  heard  some 
words  which,  with  God's  blessing,  will  do  her  good. 
The  sordid,  carnal  view  that  some  of  these  people 
have  is  surprising.  Truly  the  days  of  the  loaves 
and  fishes  are  not  passed." 

A  year  later,  on  March  24,  1902,  Mr.  Peck  and 
Mr.  Greenshield  were  on  the  same  journey.  "  We 
travelled  in  company  with  an  Eskimo,  who  kindly 


324          THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

offered  to  take  some  of  our  load  on  his  sledge  ;  I 
also  remained  with  his  conveyance.  While  passing 
between  some  islands  we  met  with  what  might  have 
been  a  most  serious  accident.  All  at  once  Mr. 
Greenshield's  sledge,  which  was  some  fifty  yards 
behind  us,  broke  through  the  ice.  Mr.  G.  himself 
narrowly  escaped  a  ducking,  which  under  such  condi 
tions  might  have  meant  at  least  some  frozen  limb 
or  limbs.  With  great  difficulty  we  managed  to  haul 
the  sledge  up  on  top  of  the  ice  again,  but  nothing, 
I  am  thankful  to  say,  was  lost.  The  accident  was 
doubtless  due  to  the  thin  state  of  ice  which  had  been 
eaten  away  by  a  strong  under  current.  Shortly  after 
this  strange  experience  we  saw  some  snow-houses 
which  had  evidently  been  only  recently  abandoned. 
We  took  possession  of  the  largest  and  cleanest,  a 
line  of  action  quite  lawful  amongst  this  free  and 
sociable  people  ;  here  we  made  ourselves  at  home, 
boiled  our  kettle,  warmed  our  meat  balls  with  a 
methylated  spirit  lamp,  and  then  fiercely  attacked 
our  evening  repast.  Our  special  man  for  the  trip 
is  a  Christian,  and  the  man  who  has  kindly  helped  us 
is  a  candidate  for  baptism,  so  altogether  we  were 
quite  a  happy  band,  and  right  heartily  we  sang 
hymns  together  before  retiring  to  rest  for  the  night. 
Rest  would  have  been  impossible,  for  some  of  us  at 
least,  had  all  the  articles  on  Mr.  G.'s  sledge  got  wet. 
Fortunately,  however,  the  very  articles  we  most 
needed  were  on  top  of  the  load,  and  these  we  were 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        325 

able  to  haul  off  the  sledge  in  time.  Surely  we  had, 
and  have,  reason  to  thank  God  for  this  mercy." 

"  Tuesday,  March  25. — Moved  on  again  over  the  icy 
waste.  Pressed  on  for  some  eight  hours.  All  at  once 
I  noticed  our  helpful  companion  (Toolsahpiah)  pull 
out  his  telescope,  sweep  the  vast  desert  waste,  and 
then  we  heard  the  joyful  cry,  '  Innuet !  Innuet ! 
Eskimos  !  Eskimos  ! '  We  soon  drove  on  to  the 
place  indicated,  and  there  we  found  two  Arctic 
inns  inhabited  by  some  ten  inhabitants.  Here  we 
were  received  kindly,  and  were  invited  to  take  up 
our  quarters  in  the  dwelling  of  a  man  named 
Kanaka,  who,  I  may  remark,  is  a  mighty  conjuror 
and  has  much  influence  amongst  his  own  people. 
Here  in  the  midst  of  such  novel  surroundings  we 
spent  a  pleasant  time,  and  were  able  to  hold  a 
meeting  in  the  evening.  How  strange  to  hear  the 
praises  of  our  King  in  these  cold  dwellings  built  on 
the  frozen  sea,  eight  miles  from  the  nearest  land." 

"Easter  Day,  March  30. — We  read  together  of 
Christ's  conquest  over  death,  and  I  then  pointed 
out  to  them  the  nature  of  that  marvellous  Friend 
in  whom  we  are  all  invited  to  confide.  The  people 
assent  freely  to  the  great  truths  brought  before 
them,  but  when  we  come  to  the  practical  points 
which  naturally  flow  from  the  great  foundation 
truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  when  they  know  that  their 
sins  and  heathen  superstitions  must  be  let  go  if  they 
are  to  be  saved,  then  the  '  tug  of  war '  commences 


326          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

— men  love  '  darkness  rather  than  light,  because 
their  deeds  are  evil.'  " 

"  Monday,  March  31. — A  poor  sick  woman,  whom 
Greenshield  and  I  had  previously  visited,  sent 
word  to  us  that  she  did  not  wish  to  see  strangers,  evi 
dently  meaning  white  men.  All  one  could  therefore  do 
was  to  speak  a  few  words  of  comfort  to  this  poor  dying 
creature  through  the  window  of  her  snow-house. 
This  being  made  of  seals'  intestines,  which  are  very 
thin  and  almost  transparent,  the  sound  of  one's 
voice  and  one's  presence  outside  were  evidently 
known  to  the  sufferer,  for  she  tried  to  answer  from 
her  couch  of  pain.  What  darkness  and  misery 
surround  these  poor  heathen !  If  the  Lord  Jesus 
was  or  had  been  living,  as  ought  to  have  been  the 
case  in  the  hearts  and  beings  of  His  people,  Arctic 
explorers  for  Christ — or  better  still  Arctic  soul- 
winners — would  have  pierced  these  polar  wastes 
long  ago.  These  people  have  seen  so  many  samples 
of  ungodly  white  men  in  the  past  that  we  can  hardly 
wonder  if  they  view  us  with  suspicion  now,  and  think 
we  are  a  curse  instead  of,  what  we  try  to  be,  a 
blessing  to  them." 

"  April  4. — Blowing  strongly  from  N. W.  during  the 
forenoon ;  weather,  however,  cleared  somewhat 
about  noon.  A  man  arrived  from  the  north.  He  came 
from  a  party  of  Eskimos  who  are  living  on  the  ice 
some  twenty  miles  from  here.  I  determined  with 
God's  help  to  accompany  this  man.  Mr.  Green- 


GATHERING   UP   FRAGMENTS         327 

shield  will  remain  here  till  a  later  date  while  I 
minister  to  these  scattered  sheep  on  the  icy  wastes  * 
Ilak,  the  Eskimo  who  arrived,  wished  to  return  at 
once.  He  told  me  that  he  knew  his  way  quite  well 
and  that  his  friends  expected  him  to  return  with 
tobacco  and  biscuit  which  they  were  "  longing  for." 
Tied  dogs  to  sledge — some  ten  in  all — and  pressed 
on  our  way,  wind  being  still  strong  and  snow  falling 
pretty  freely.  As  we  journeyed  on,  wind  and  snow 
increased.  This  was  driven  by  the  violence  of  the 
wind  on  one's  face,  where  coming  in  contact  with 
my  beard  and  skin  it  formed  a  kind  of  ice  plaster 
which  could  only  be  removed  by  the  naked  hand, 
the  removal  of  which  from  one's  fur  gloves  resulted 
in  the  inside  of  glove  itself  being  freely  dusted  with 
particles  of  driving  snow  ;  these  again  melted  with 
the  warmth  of  hand  when  returned  to  its  necessary 
cover.  The  sensations  thus  produced  both  in  the 
face  and  hands  by  this  experience  might  almost  be 
described  as  unmitigated  torture,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  sensations  produced  in  the  whole  body  by 
the  continual  fury  of  wind  and  jolting  of  sledge. 
Wind  still  increased,  but  Ilak  kept  the  dogs  well 
in  hand,  and  for  a  time  he  was  able  to  keep  the  track 
which  had  been  made  by  other  Eskimos  who  had 
travelled  to  Kikkerton.  Night,  however,  drew  on 
apace,  wind  and  snow  increased,  and  at  last  we  could 
see  nothing.  My  companion  kept  on  yelling  at  the 
dogs.  On  they  went  in  spite  of  heavy  wind,  which 


328  THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

was  almost  dead  ahead.    What  sagacious  creatures 
they  are  !    Ilak  trusted  them  fully.    He  knew  that 
could  he  only  keep  them  in  the  right  direction  their 
keen  sense  of  smell  and  evident  instinct  would  do 
the  rest.     And  so  it  proved.     I  was  beginning  to 
feel  that  I  could  not   stand  this  terrible  exposure 
much  longer,  and  earnestly  lifted  up  my  heart  to 
God  in  prayer  that  we  might  be  led  to  the  friendly 
shelter  of  a  snow  dwelling,  when  I  happened  to 
look  through  the  drift,  and  there,  quite  close  at 
hand,  I  saw  two  or  three  dim  lights  shining  from 
the  oil  lamps  inside  these  Arctic  hotels.     It  did  not 
take  long  to  wake  up  some  of  our  friends.     I  was 
kindly  received  and  housed  by  a  conjuror  named 
Okittok.    My  garments,  which  were  literally  coated 
with  snow,  were  beaten  with  a  stick,  and  I  was  soon 
in  my  fur  bag.     I  did  not,  however,  sleep  much 
during  the  remainder  of  the  night.      Some  eight 
hours'  tossing  about  had  chilled  me  through  and 
through." 

"  April  12. — As  we  were  near  some  Eskimos  we 
gladly    entered    their   snow-house,    and    soon   had 
something  warm  to  drink.     As  I  had  not  had  the 
pleasure  of  washing  for  three  days  I  felt  that  I  must 
by  some  means  have  an  ablution.     Nothing  in  the 
shape  of  washing  utensils,  however,  could  be  found 
amongst    these    primitive    people,    so    I    took    my 
frying  pan,  and  in  this  managed  to  have  a  kind 
of  wash." 


GATHERING   UP   FRAGMENTS          329 

Every  birthday  in  Mr.  Peck's  diary  contains 
some  special  note.  We  will  take  April  15,  1902, 
as  a  sample  : — 

"  Tuesday,  April  15.— My  birthday.  (Fifty-two  to 
day.)  And  this  is  how  I  spent  it.  Blacklead  Island 
was  now  seventeen  miles  away,our  stock  of  provisions 
very  low,  so  it  was  necessary  to  get  to  our  journey's 
end  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  weather,  however,  was 
far  from  favourable.  The  wind  was  right  ahead,  and 
snow  was  driving  heavily.  My  Eskimo  friends  were, 
however,  confident  that  they  could  find  their  way. 
So  we  started.  But  to  start  was  one  thing,  to  get 
on  was  quite  another.  Our  dogs  were  weak,  the 
storm  increased,  and  nothing  at  times  could  be  seen 
On  we  went  for  some  five  hours.  A  lull  in  the  storm 
then  brought  to  our  view  an  island.  This  island  was 
about  eight  miles  from  Blacklead  Island.  We  had 
travelled  some  nine  miles  in  five  hours — certainly  not 
express  speed.  Tired  and  hungry,  we  made  a  kind 
of  shelter  with  large  blocks  of  snow.  These  we 
placed  on  the  windward  side  of  our  sledge.  My  hearty 
companions  hauled  out  a  large  piece  of  seal's  meat. 
This  they  chopped  up  with  an  axe,  and  attacked 
with  evident  relish  and  delight.  Got  under  the  lee 
of  one  of  the  men,  and  in  the  midst  of  driving  snow 
munched  away  at  some  biscuit  which  I  had  close 
at  hand.  On  we  went  again.  Had  not  gone  far 
when  a  dog  belonging  to  Tooloakjuak's  sledge 
dropped  down  dead.  He,  poor  fellow,  has  only 


330          THE   LIFE   OF  E.   J.    PECK 

three  dogs  left  out  of  seven.  This  mysterious  com 
plaint  is  thinning  the  dogs  out  on  every  hand.  We 
started  with  ten ;  one  died,  another  ran  away, 
and  the  remainder  are  hardly  able  to  move  along. 
My  man  consequently  goes  ahead  to  lead  the  weary 
creatures  through  the  drift.  I,  on  the  other  hand, 
stop  by  the  sledge.  I  shout,  and  shove,  and  pull, 
and  help  the  dogs  as  much  as  I  can,  and  so  we 
manage  to  get  along.  Sometimes,  however,  we 
come  to  a  complete  standstill.  Sledge  and  dogs  get 
fast  in  a  bank  of  snow.  Now  I  have  to  beat  down 
the  snow  in  front  of  sledge,  and  with  some  mighty 
shoves,  which  strain  every  muscle  in  one's  body, 
and  with  a  number  of  regular  war  cries,  which  startle 
— if  they  do  nothing  else — the  tired  dogs,  we  are 
again  on  the  move.  About  2  p.m.  we  fortunately 
saw  some  old  sledge  tracks.  Our  poor  dogs 
brightened  up  wonderfully.  Sledge  tracks  are  to 
them  what  one  may  call  Arctic  roads — roads  which 
lead  them  sooner  or  later  to  a  place  of  rest.  Arrived 
at  Blacklead  Island  about  4  p.m.  Mr.  J.  Mutch 
(Mr.  Noble's  chief  agent)  received  me  most  kindly, 
and  a  welcome  repast,  which  he  had  most  thought 
fully  provided,  seemed  to  put  new  life  and  vigour 
into  my  weary  frame.  I  was  also  greatly  cheered 
to  notice  the  kindly  spirit  of  the  poor  Eskimos. 
Several  of  the  men,  I  ought  to  mention,  came  down 
on  the  ice  to  help  our  dogs  up  the  rugged  shore  ice 
to  the  level  space  beyond.  F  spent  the  remainder 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        331 

of  my  birthday  in  profitable  reading,  and  in  prayer 
for  the  people  and  my  own  loved  ones  in  the  home 
land.  Speaking  of  the  latter,  it  is  not  weakness  on 
my  part,  I  feel  sure,  to  state  that  their  forms  stand 
out  as  a  living  picture  before  me  day  by  day — five 
cords  ever  pulling  at  one's  heart,  five  mighty 
connecting  links  with  Jesus  on  the  throne." 

In  June,  1902,  the  Eskimos  of  Frobisher  Bay  were 
visited. 

"  After  much  prayer  for  guidance  I  have  deter 
mined  to  go  to  the  whaling  station  near  Frobisher 
Bay.  The  place  has  not  been  visited  for  two  years, 
and  it  is  our  duty  to  go,  so  I  am  now  preparing  for 
the  journey.  It  is  one  thing  to  take  a  through  ticket, 
say,  from  Euston  to  Aberdeen,  it  is  quite  another 
to  travel  along  an  ice-bound  shore  in  an  open  boat, 
and  to  make  provision  for  six  mouths  for  some  two 
months.  Here  are  some  of  the  items  needed  : — 
ist.  A  good  boat.  2nd.  A  suitable  crew.  3rd.  A 
good  Eskimo  canoe.  This  is  necessary  for  hunting 
purposes.  4th.  Suitable  tents,  one  for  myself  and 
one  for  my  companions.  5th.  Necessary  provisions — 
biscuits,  coffee,  tea,  etc.  All  these  must  be  stowed 
in  boxes  or  waterproof  bags.  6th.  Guns  and  am 
munition — necessary  items  in  a  region  like  this. 
7th.  Suitable  clothing,  such  as  sealskin  coats, 
trousers  etc.  8th.  All  needful  cooking  appliances, 
fuel,  etc.  We  must  take  wood  (which  we  get  from 
home)  or  methylated  spirits.  No  trees  or  driftwood 


332          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

are  to  be  found  in  these  barren  wastes,  gth.  All 
necessary  lines,  harpoons,  material  for  repairing 
boat  in  case  of  accident,  etc.,  etc." 

"  Sunday,  June  8. — Very  good  congregations,  and 
very  hearty  services." 

"  Saturday,  June  14. — Saw  two  beautiful  little 
flowers  to-day.  What  a  reminder  of  the  Creator's 
handiwork,  goodness  and  love." 

"  Tuesday,  June  17. — Nearly  ready  for  trip  to  Fro- 
bisher  Bay.  Spoke  to  Christ's  little  flock  here  in  the 
wilderness.  Reminded  them  of  Christ's  love  for  all 
men.  Told  them  that  it  was  meet  and  right  that 
I  should  leave  them  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  others 
also.  Exhorted  them  to  cleave  to  Christ,  and  to 
help  our  brother  Greenshield  in  every  possible  way." 

"  Wednesday,  June  18. — Several  of  these  poor  crea 
tures  came  down  to  the  boat  to  say  farewell.  We 
prayed  together  on  the  ice-bound  shore,  and  I  then 
stepped  on  board.  We  only  went  a  short  distance 
when  a  large  sheet  of  ice  shut  us  in  on  the  south  end 
of  the  island.  Our  Arctic  friends,  however,  soon  came 
to  the  rescue,  and  helped  us  to  drag  both  boat  and 
baggage  over  the  frozen  barrier.  Passed  into  the 
open  sea,  where  we  pulled  away  with  a  will.  Camped 
at  night  in  a  kind  of  frozen  bay,  with  great  high 
rocks  on  our  southern  hand.  There  appears  to  be 
much  ice  on  ahead,  but  we  will,  with  God's  help, 
press  on." 

11  Thursday,  June  19. — About  4    a.m.  I    heard  a 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        333 

great  noise  outside  my  tent.  The  wind  had  risen, 
and  the  men  were  busy  securing  my  canvas  tent 
and  seeing  to  the  safety  of  our  boat.  We  are  on 
the  edge  of  a  large  floe,  the  inside  part  of  which 
may  be  driven  from  the  land.  Should  this  happen 
nothing  remains  but  to  pack  up,  get  in  our  boat 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  make  our  way  to  some 
more  secure  shelter.  The  wind  blew  strong  all 
day,  but  we  remained  safe.  I  had  prayers  with  our 
friends  morning  and  evening.  This,  I  need  hardly 
say,  is  a  great  help  and  comfort  to  us." 

"  Monday,  June  23. — The  wind  is  driving  the  ice 
from  the  shore,  so  we  hope  to  be  able  to  proceed 
on  the  morrow.  Three  bears  were  seen  on  a  large 
floe.  Our  Eskimo  friends,  however,  much  to  their 
grief  could  not  reach  them,  as  the  wind  was  too 
strong,  and  the  ice  was  driven  along  at  a  great  speed." 

"  Tuesday,  June  24. — One  of  the  men  shot  a  seal 
on  the  shore  ice — a  great  treat,  as  we  were  getting 
short  of  fresh  meat.  Found  a  mast  of  some  ship 
wrecked  in  the  past.  Cut  up  some  of  this  for  fire 
wood.  Wind  moderated,  and  then  came  on  to  blow 
from  seaward.  Ice  was  driving  in  upon  us,  so  we 
packed  up  and  got  away  about  n  p.m.  No  night 
here  now,  so  we  can  travel  when  we  see  a  favourable 
opportunity." 

"  Friday,  June  7. — Saw  three  bears,  all,  however, 
ran  away  before  we  could  get  near  them.  Tried 
in  the  early  part  of  the  day  to  force  our  way  through 


334          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.   PECK 

an  opening  in  the  ice,  but  we  were  nearly  shut  in  by 
large  masses  moving  in  different  directions.  Tried 
again  in  the  evening,  and  after  a  lot  of  shoving; 
grinding  and  not  a  little  nerve-shaking  experience, 
we  got  safely  across  to  the  land  we  had  in  view. 
We  thank  God  for  His  preserving  care.  This 
voyaging  in  a  frail  boat  in  the  midst  of  moving 
masses  of  ice  ranging  from  six  to  twenty  feet  thick 
is  enough  at  times  to  try  the  stoutest  heart." 

"  Saturday,  June  8. — Made  a  number  of  dashes 
through  open  lanes  of  water  which  we  found  near 
the  shore.  In  the  evening  tried  to  find  a  suitable 
place  on  the  land  where  we  could  spend  the  Sabbath. 
We  finally  found  a  spot  about  forty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea." 

"  Monday,  June  30.  Tried  to  move  on.  Had  to 
shove  large  blocks  of  ice  out  of  our  way.  Went 
on  for  about  two  miles,  and  then  came  to  a  stand 
still,  A  large  expanse  of  ice  which  had  not  been 
loosened  from  the  shore  stood  in  our  way.  Camped 
on  this." 

'5  Tuesday,  July  i.— Still  shut  in  with  ice,  How 
unlike  July!  We  are  not  in  want  of  food,  thank 
God.  One  of  the  men  shot  a  seal  to-day ;  we  have 
also  shot  quite  a  number  of  eider  ducks ;  neither 
of  these  is  over  palatable,  but  they  make  a  change 
in  our  diet." 

"  Wednesday  y  July  2. — Could  not  move.  Here  we 
are  fast  in  the  ice,  but  safe  in  the  hands  of  our  God, 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        335 

Men  beginning  to  murmur  on  account  of  the  tedious- 
ness  and  length  of  way.  We  are  not  half  way  to 
Frobisher  Bay  yet." 

"  Thursday,  July  3. — At  morning  prayer  spoke  to 
our  companions  of  the  power  and  presence  of  Christ 
to  keep  and  guide  us.  Truly  strength  is  needed  from 
Christ  the  fountain  Head  not  only  for  one's  own 
inner  life,  but  to  enable  one  to  pour  strength  and 
courage  into  the  hearts  of  others." 

"  Friday,  July  4. — Made  another  dash  at  ice  barrier, 
Got  through  safely.  Masses  of  ice  were,  however, 
driven  past  us  at  great  speed,  and  we  had,  to  say 
the  least,  some  exciting  experiences.  Beyond  this 
barrier  we  had  the  pleasure  of  finding  an  open  space 
of  water  running  between  some  islands.  We  journeyed 
on  and  made  a  good  day's  work.  We  were  all  quite 
delighted." 

' '  Saturday,  July  5 . — Pressed  on  again.  About  noon 
saw  a  large  bear  on  ice  floe  right  ahead  of  us.  This 
monster  was  going  along  in  a  most  stealthy  manner 
to  a  large  seal  which  was  basking  in  the  sun.  The 
bear's  attention  being  concentrated  on  what  he 
hoped  would  prove  a  sumptuous  repast,  he  did  not 
notice  the  Eskimos  (Muneapik  and  Ameksaktok) 
who  were  following  Master  Bruin  on  the  ice.  All 
at  once  the  seal  dived ;  the  bear  saw  his  pursuers ; 
c  went  for  them,'  coming  up  through  a  hole  in  the 
ice  close  to  the  men.  With  gnashing  teeth  he  tried  to 
get  on  top  of  the  ice,  but  was  soon  shot.  The  carcase 


336         THE    LIFE    OF   E.    J.    PECK 

(measuring  some  nine  feet)  was  hauled  up  on  the  floe, 
cut  up,  and  with  a  bountiful  supply  of  meat  we 
proceeded  on  our  way.  After  dinner — some  of  the 
bear's  flesh  formed  one  of  the  courses — we  tried 
to  get  on.  But  we  had  not  gone  far  when  the  ice 
closed  in  upon  us,  so  we  had  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat. 
We  finally  managed  to  reach  a  rock  island,  where 
we  camped." 

"  Friday,  July  n. — Fog  cleared  up.  We  moved 
on  and  came  to  a  point  of  land  with  a  small  passage 
between  it  and  the  ice.  We  pulled  with  all  our  might 
to  get  through.  We  failed.  The  ice  drove  on  to 
the  point  with  a  crushing  grinding  noise.  Pile 
after  pile  of  this  was  heaped  on  the  shore.  We 
backed  out  in  quick  time.  It  was  well  we  did  so. 
Our  boat  would  have  been  crushed  like  a  match-box 
had  we  been  in  the  embrace  of  that  icy  mass. 
Now  we  had  a  lively  time.  Everything  had  to  be 
taken  out  of  the  boat  and  carried  to  the  open  water 
beyond  the  point.  We  all  carried  what  we  could. 
Then  we  had  a  little  breathing  time.  Now  for  the 
boat.  With  might  and  will  we  hauled  it  up  on  the 
ice.  A  lot  of  shouting  and  shoving  and  the  boat 
was  on  the  other  side.  She  was  launched  and  loaded 
and  away  we  went  again.  It  was  now  10  p.m., 
so  we  managed  to  get  ashore  near  some  high  rocks. 
Here  we  had  supper.  An  opening  in  the  ice  gave 
us  new  hope  and  courage.  We'determined  to  go  on . 
We  started  towards  midnight." 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        337 

"  Saturday,  July  12. — Came  to  a  place  where  we 
could  not  get  through.  Camped  about  i  p.m. 
on  Sunday.  Hope  to  proceed  on  Monday  by  another 
route." 

"Sunday,  July  13. — Spent  a  very  happy  day  both 
bodily  and  spiritually.  God's  mercies  are  very 
real." 

"  Monday,  July  14. — Started  to  try  the  outer  route. 
This  means  going  along  the  barren  shore  of  David 
Strait.  Reached  the  sea, when  we  saw  two  bears; 
gave  chase.  They  went  from  the  ice  into  the  water. 
We  followed  in  boat.  After  a  long  pull  came  up  to 
them.  Both  were  shot.  We  took  them  in  tow, 
when  a  heavy  head  wind  sprang  up  and  rain  came 
down  in  torrents.  We  had  now  to  go  to  the  nearest 
shelter,  which  proved  to  be  an  awful  spot.  Big 
towering  rocks  above  us,  while  a  shelving  piece  of 
ice  some  eight  feet  broad  was  the  only  place  we  could 
find  to  camp  on.  The  wind  howled,  and  the  rain 
fell.  Wet  and  cold,  we  managed  to  make  a  fire 
in  a  cave  in  the  rocks.  We  boiled  our  kettles  and 
made  some  tea.  I  then  crept  into  my  fur  bag, 
which  was  about  the  only  dry  thing  I  possessed. 
Casting  myself  and  companions  upon  God,  I  managed 
in  spite  of  roaring  wind  and  flapping  tent  to  sleep, 
at  least,  through  a  portion  of  that  memorable 
night." 

"  Tuesday,  July  15. — A  fearful  day.    No  change  for 
the  better.     Remained  in  my  fur  bag  nearly  the 

22 


338          THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

whole  day.     I  could  not  keep  warm  or  dry  anywhere 
else." 

"  Wednesday,  July  16. — Cleared  up  about  noon. 
We  packed  up  with  all  speed.  All  were  glad  to 
leave  this  place  of  horrors.  One  of  the  men  told 
me  that  he  could  not  sleep.  He  was  in  dread,  so 
he  said,  of  those  overhanging  cliffs.  Eskimos 
believe  that  rocks  have  their  innua,  viz.,  inhabitant. 
Strange  stories  are  told  in  reference  to  these. 
Pressed  on  as  far  as  we  could.  Camped  in  a  small 
bay  on  a  large  sheet  of  ice.  Men  climbed  high  rocks. 
They  brought  back  bad  news.  There  is  no  possibility 
of  our  going  on  on  account  of  icebergs,  and  vast 
bodies  of  ice  ahead.  Certainly  this  coast  is  awful, 
high  rocks,  icebergs,  desolation,  cold,  snow  and 
tempest  on  every  hand." 

"  Thursday,  July  17. — Tried  to  return  from  where 
we  started  from  on  Monday,  but,  alas,  we  could  not 
get  back.  A  vast  sheet  of  ice  had  been  driven  by 
the  wind  right  in  our  way.  Made  our  way  to  an 
island,  where  we  camped.  Our  guide  again  full  of 
complaints.  He  spoke  of  returning  to  Blacklead 
Island  if  possible.  I  told  him  we  must  face  our 
difficulties  in  the  strength  of  God  like  men  and  go 
ahead." 

"Friday,  July  18. — During  night  wind  sprang  up 
from  the  north,  and  drove  a  lot  of  ice  right  in  upon 
us.  We  could  see  the  open  water  beyond,  but  could 
not  move." 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS       339 

"  Saturday,  July  19. — A  stirring  day.  Ice  opened 
out  a  little.  Tried  to  get  away  by  going  along  the 
south  end  of  island,  but  were  nearly  shut  in ;  tried 
north  end  with  the  same  result ;  retreated  to  the 
shore,  climbed  the  rocks,  where  we  keenly  watched 
the  motions  of  ice.  About  4  p.m.  saw  an  opening. 
Made  a  dash  for  this  and  escaped.  Pressed  on ; 
pulled  with  all  our  might.  Found  an  open  space  of 
water  between  two  vast  floes  which  took  us  almost 
to  the  land.  An  exciting  time  now  followed.  The 
ice  closed  in  rapidly  upon  us.  We  all  took  up  the 
nearest  thing  to  hand  and  threw  it  on  the  ice.  Up 
went  the  boat ;  but  just  in  time.  On  the  ice  we 
waited  for  a  time.  Change  of  tide  made  a  change 
in  motions  of  floe.  Launched  our  boat  in  an  open 
space,  and  again  we  bent  to  the  oars.  Passed  the 
place  we  had  left  on  Monday  about  7  p.m.  Found 
to  our  joy  the  inside  passage  open.  This  runs 
between  large  islands — a  blank  on  the  map — and 
is  nicely  sheltered.  Pulled  on  and  finally  camped 
on  a  nice  grassy  spot.  We  all  felt  utterly  tired  out, 
but  thankful  to  God  for  His  help  and  goodness. 
Our  guide  seemed  quite  a  new  man.  He  is  full  of 
hope  now." 

"  Sunday,  July  20. — The  fifth  spent  on  this  journey. 
It  is  well,  in  spite  of  our  tardy  progress,  to  keep 
the  Lord's  Day.  Rest  for  the  body  and  food  for 
the  soul  are  real  needs." 

"  Monday,  July  21. — Journeyed  on  again.    Found 


340  THE   LIFE   OF   E.    J.    PECK 

a  large  expanse  of  open  water,  of  which  we  made 
the  best  possible  use.  After  dinner,  which  we  had  on 
some  rocks,  went  on  again.  We  had  soon,  however, 
to  come  to  a  dead  halt.  Large  blocks  of  ice  had  been 
driven  in  close  to  a  point  where  we  had  to  pass. 
We  could  not  haul  our  boat  over  the  ice  to  the  open 
water  beyond,  as  the  floe  inside  the  point  was  in 
places  full  of  holes.  The  only  way  was  to  try  and 
loosen  the  ice  blocks  and  force  our  boat  through  the 
pools  of  water  here  and  there.  We  set  to  work  at 
one  block  which  seemed  to  be  a  kind  of  key-piece 
to  the  rest.  We  chiselled  and  shoved  at  this  for 
some  hours  before  it  started.  The  ice  now  slackened. 
We  shoved  and  hauled  our  boat  along  with  all 
our  might.  We  struggled  on  for  some  distance  and 
then  camped.  We  thank  God  for  this  day's  help 
and  take  courage." 

"  Tuesday,  July  22  . — We  made  a  capital  day's 
work.  We  met  with  but  little  ice  and  were  able  to 
sail  for  about  four  hours.  We  are  only  one  full  day's 
journey  from  the  station  (Signia). 

"  Thursday,  July  24. — We  struck  a  point  of  land 
not  far  from  Signia.  We  hugged  this  land  and  were 
soon  at  the  station.  To  our  surprise  we  found 
Mr.  Sampson's  vessel,  the  Forget-me-Not,  lying 
at  anchor.  Both  Mr.  Jansen,  who  was  in  charge  of 
the  station,  and  the  captain  of  the  vessel  received 
me  very  kindly.  Mr.  Sampson  himself,  however, 
was  away  with  some  Eskimos  walrus  hunting,  but  he 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        341 

is  expected  here  to-morrow.  I  am  informed  that 
Mr.  Sampson's  station  is  some  twenty-five  miles 
from  this  post,  but  his  vessel  has  come  here  prior 
to  her  departure  for  home." 

These  extracts,  however  interesting  they 
are,  must  be  curtailed.  After  a  sojourn  and 
encouraging  work  among  the  Eskimos  of  Frobisher 
Bay,  Mr.  Peck  went  back  to  Blacklead  Island  in 
Mr.  Jansen's  vessel,  as  his  own  men  were  going  to 
hunt  reindeer  on  their  return  journey. 

On  September  2  the  Alert  arrived  with  Mr.  Bilby 
on  board.  He  brought  the  happy  news  that  the 
C.M.S.  had  no  longer  any  thought  of  abandoning 
the  Mission. 

Mr.  Peck  was  now  to  return  home  once  more. 
But  before  starting  he  had  one  more  very  happy 
day  on  September  14.  "  Four  more  of  the  poor 
sheep  in  these  desert  wastes  were  dedicated  to 
Christ  in  holy  baptism.  They  have  been  candidates 
for  some  time,  and  I  believe  their  faith  is  real.  Again 
we  thank  God  for  His  goodness. 

A  steamer  happened  to  have  called  at  Blacklead 
Island,  so  the  tedium  of  a  voyage  in  the  Alert  was 
avoided.  Mr.  Peck  preferred  this,  although  she 
was  not  to  return  at  once  but  was  to  touch  at  various 
points  for  the  sake  of  trade. 

"  Wednesday,  September  17. — Left  Blacklead  Island 
in  ss.  Balaena  at  8  a.m.  The  Lord  did  not  send 
me  away  comfortless.  Several  of  the  Eskimos 


342          THE   LIFE   OF  E.    J.    PECK 

here,  who  now  know  the  Lord,  thank  God  for  this 
Mission,  and  for  His  kindness  and  love  in  sending 
to  them  the  Gospel.  The  very  kindly  spirit  of  my 
brethren  was  also  a  comfort  to  me,  for  to  leave  this 
hallowed  spot,  this  place  of  spiritual  conflict  and 
triumph  in  the  Lord,  was  a  sore  wrench.  And  what 
does  the  Lord  will  now  ?  What  is  the  desire  which 
lives  day  by  day  and  hour  by  hour  in  my  soul  ? 
Simply  this.  To  spread  the  knowledge  of  Christ  over 
these  Polar  wastes.  The  time  seems  to  have  come 
now  when  a  younger  brother  should  finally  take 
my  place  at  Cumberland  Sound,  leaving  my  hands 
free  to  press  to  the  "  regions  beyond  "  in  the  way 
the  Lord  shall  through  His  providential  leadings 
indicate." 

"  Thursday,  September  18. — Heavy  wind  sprang  up, 
also  heavy  snow.  The  funnel  and  weather  shrouds 
of  ship  were  coated  with  a  kind  of  icy  covering. 
Everything  gloomy  in  the  extreme.  Continually  is 
my  heart  lifted  up  to  God  for  spiritual  power. 
Truly  it  is  needed.  Went  to  the  forecastle  to  see  the 
men.  Was  most  kindly  received.  There  are  over 
forty  hands  on  board.  The  vessel  is  fitted  with  six 
'  whale  boats.'  These  are  always  kept  ready  for 
use,  and  a  sharp  look-out  is  kept  in  the  '  crow's 
nest '  for  a  '  fish,'  which  means,  in  whaler's 
idiom,  a  whale.  This  vessel,  like  other  whaling  craft, 
is  most  strongly  built,  and  is  fitted  with  masts  and 
sails,  the  engines  being  used  more  as  an  auxiliary 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS        343 

power  than  the  main  moving  agent.  This  is  particu 
larly  the  case  when  the  ship  is  in  clear  water — i.e., 
water  free  of  ice — and  when  the  wind  is  fair.  It 
need  hardly  be  said  that  dangers  from  ice,  icebergs 
and  Arctic  gales  beset  these  hardy  voyagers  on 
every  hand,  and  many  a  thrilling  tale  could  be  told 
by  these  brave  men  who  face  the  icy  seas." 

"  Friday,  September  26. — Arrived  at  a  place  called 
by  the  Eskimo  Rivetok,  but  named  by  the  whalers 
'  Yahhe  Fieord.'  On  arrival  was  delighted  to  meet 
some  Eskimos.  They  greeted  me  in  a  most  cordial 
manner.  I  noticed  in  particular  one  woman  named 
Padlo. *  She  had  spent  one  winter  at  Blacklead  Island 
seven  years  ago,  and  had  during  her  stay  there  shown 
a  great  desire  for  instruction.  I  find  that  she  has 
used  her  influence  for  Christ.  This  fact,  I  need 
hardly  say,  gives  me  deep  joy.  So  here  we  find, 
some  eighty  miles  within  the  Arctic  circle,  this 
little  flock  without  a  shepherd's  care,  but  none 
the  less  precious  are  they  in  the  eyes  of  Jesus.  I 
had  a  long  chat  with  our  Arctic  friends,  and  they 
told  me  that  far  away  in  the  distant  north  there  are 
other  Eskimos  who,  they  said,  were  '  horrible 
creatures,'  who  thought  nothing  of  killing  each  other. 
One  man  also,  when  I  told  him  that  I  was  going  home 
in  the  ship,  said  to  me,  '  Pray  divide  yourself  in 
two,  leaving  half  with  us  and  half  with  those  in  the 
white  man's  land.'  Several  of  them  also  asked  me 

1  See  p,  226. 


344          THE   LIFE   OF    E.    J.    PECK 

if  I  could  not  come  back  next  year,  but  I  told  them 
that  I  could  not  order  my  own  movements.  God, 
I  said,  moved  His  servants  from  place  to  place, 
besides  which  I  was  under  orders  from  the 
'  believers  at  home,'  and  that  I  would  have  to  go 
a  long  way  in  a  ship,  and  (using  an  Eskimo  idiom) 
'  end  several  moons '  before  I  could  hope  to  see 
their  faces  again.  Poor  creatures !  Most  gladly 
will  I  see  them  again  if  the  Lord  so  direct.  I  set  to 
work  to  teach  them  all  I  could.  The  captain  kindly 
got  a  place  rigged  up  between  decks.  Here  we 
gathered  together.  I  went  over  some  of  the  founda 
tion  facts,  such  as  the  being  and  attributes  of  God, 
the  power  and  goodness  of  God  shown  in  His  works, 
manifest  to  our  very  senses.  I  naturally  passed  on  as 
soon  as  possible  to  man's  fallen  state,  how  he  fell 
from  his  high  estate,  and  the  wonderful  means 
provided  for  his  recovery  and  safety  through  the 
all-sufficient  work  of  Jesus,  and  the  sanctifying 
power  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  All  this  has  to  be 
taught  little  by  little.  These  people  cannot  grasp 
or  digest  much  at  one  time,  and  their  ideas  of  many 
objects  familiar  to  ourselves  are  a  complete  blank. 
These  facts  will  show  the  difficulties  of  this  work. 
What  we  need  along  this  coast,  even  as  at  Blacklead 
Island,  is  a  station.  How  such  a  station  can  be 
established  is  another  question.  But  it  can  be  done 
through  the  power  of  our  God.  If  some  £60,000 
has  been  found  to  fit  out  the  Discovery ',  and  send 


GATHERING    UP    FRAGMENTS       345 

her  on  her  Antarctic  expedition,  God,  I  feel  sure, 
can  give  the  means  to  carry  out  His  plans.  Do 
the  souls  of  these  Eskimos  belong  to  Him  ?  Did 
Christ  die  for  them  ?  Ought  He  to  have  them  for 
His  own  ?  Certainly  He  ought.  Well,  then,  our 
line  of  action  is  clear.  We  must  use  the  means, 
and  go  forward  in  His  strength  to  win  them  for 
our  King." 

At  last,  on  Wednesday,  November  5,  1902. — 
"  Reached  home.  Three  periods  of  separation,  making 
in  all  a  total  of  almost  seven  years,  have  now  been 
spent  for  the  Saviour.  But  do  we  regret  this  ? 
In  no  wise.  Both  Mrs.  Peck  and  I  have  found  God's 
compensations  very  real,  and  there  is  very  joy 
and  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  life  is  used  for  a 
purpose." 


APPENDIX 

A  FEW  words  on  the  language  of  the  Eskimos  may 
be  of  interest  to  some  readers.  The  following 
is  a  short  description  from  Mr.  Peck's  pen  :  "  The  prin 
cipal  peculiarity  of  the  language  consists  in  the  length 
of  its  words  and  that  feature  which  grammarians  style 
agglutinative. 

"  Agglutinative  it  certainly  is,  for  all  the  parts  of 
speech  may  be  joined  to  the  verbal  root  and  then  con 
jugated  in  the  various  moods  and  tenses  founc1  in  this 
remarkable  tongue. 

"  We  have  to  consider  not  only  our  ordinary  moods 
but  also  an  interrogative  one,  which  is  most  striking  and 
expressive  in  its  use  and  formation. 

"  There  are  three  numbers,  singular,  dual,  and  plural. 
Adverbs,  particles,  etc.,  are  added  to  the  verbal  root." 

A  few  examples  will  illustrate  these  remarks  : — 

INDICATIVE   AND    INTERROGATIVE 

OF  THE  MOODS 
THE   INDICATIVE 

SINGULAR 
Pissukpoonga  .     I  walk. 

Pissukpotit Thou  walkest. 

Pissukpok He  walks. 

DUAL 
Pissukpogook       ....     We  two  walk. 

Pissukpotik You  two  walk 

Pissukpook They  two  walk: 

PLURAL 
Pissukpogoot        ....     We  walk. 

Pissukpose You  walk. 

Pissukpoot They  walk. 

347 


348  APPENDIX 

THE    INTERROGATIVE    MOOD 
SINGULAR 

Pissukpoonga  ?    .     .     .     .     Do  I  walk  ? 

Pissukpet  ? Dost  thou  walk  ? 

Pissukpa  ? Does  he  walk  ? 

DUAL 

Pissukpenook  ?    .  Do  -we  two  walk  ? 

Pissukpetik  ?  ...     Do  you  two  walk  ? 

Pissukpak  ?  ...     Do  they  two  walk  ? 

PLURAL 

Pissukpeta  ?  ...     Do  we  walk  ? 

Pissukpete  ?  ...     Do  you  walk  ? 

Pissukpdt?     .      .      .      .      .     Do  they  walk? 

The  transitive  verb  Tekkova,  "  He  sees  him,"  with 
first,  second,  and  third  persons  as  subject,  and  with 
singular,  dual,  and  plural  object : — 

Tekkovara      .     .      .     .     .     I  see  him. 

Tekkovut        Thou  seest  him. 

Tekkova          He  sees  him. 

WITH  DUAL  OBJECT 

Tekkovdka /  see  those  two. 

Tekkovatik Thou  seest  those  two. 

Tekkovak He  sees  those  two. 

WITH  PLURAL  OBJECT 

Tekkovuka /  see  them. 

Tekkovatit Thou  seest  them. 

Tekkovdt         He  sees  them. 

With  various  adverbial  and  other  particles  affixed 
to  verbal  root. 
Tekkova He  sees  him. 

With  adverbial  particle — Kaprea,  "  Soon." 
Tehkokapreakpa  .     He  sees  him  soon. 


APPENDIX  349 

With  time  particle— Neak,  "  Will." 
Tekkokapredneakpa        .      .     He  will  see  him  soon. 
With    auxiliary    verbal    particle — Nashooak,  "  Tries 

tor 

Tekkohapreanashooangneak'pa       He    will   try    and  see 

him  soon. 
With  negative  particle—  Yange,  "  Not." 

Tekkokapreanashooangneat-       We  will  not  try  and  see  him 
yangela  soon. 

"  All  learners  of  this  strange  language  find  the  prin 
cipal  difficulty  not  so  much  in  saying  these  peculiar 
words,  as  in  understanding  correctly  what  the  natives 
themselves  say." 

Much  has  been  said  in  the  narrative  concerning  the 
syllabic  character.  The  Syllabarium  which  Mr.  Peck 
has  adapted  for  the  Eskimos  is  not  without  interest. 

(For  table  see  next  page). 


TABLE  OF  SYLLABIC  CHARACTERS 
ADAPTED  FOR  THE  ESKIMO. 


a 

e               o 

U 

V 

A                  P> 

< 

P       v 

A                 > 

<        < 

t         U 

n           > 

C      c 

k        9 

p           d 

b      ^> 

g        1 

r           J 

I      ^ 

m      1 

r          j 

L      L 

n       -o 

CT*                            ,  O 

o.       a- 

s        N 

/        /> 

l^          S 

I 

c-                   -j> 

c_        <!- 

y     ^ 

^        ^ 

V 

v        V 

A               > 

<  1 

r        -v 

n-                        f' 

? 

Butler  and  J  anner,  The  S(l-wo<fd  Printing  Work$t  Frame,  tund  Lotidon 


